|house=[[Gryffindor]]<ref>[http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2004/0304-wbd.htm 2004 World Book Day Chat]</ref>

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|loyalty=*'''Himself''' (default)

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|loyalty=*The [[Marauders]] (formerly)

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*[[Marauders|The Marauders]] (formerly)

*[[Order of the Phoenix]] (betrayed)

*[[Order of the Phoenix]] (betrayed)

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*[[Order of Merlin]]

*[[Death Eaters]]

*[[Death Eaters]]

*[[Weasley family]] (as Scabbers)

*[[Weasley family]] (as Scabbers)

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}}

}}

{{Quote|And [[Albus Dumbledore|you]] understood Wormtail... you knew he had felt some regret...|[[Harry Potter]] on Peter Pettigrew about regretting betraying his friends to [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]].|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows}}

{{Quote|And [[Albus Dumbledore|you]] understood Wormtail... you knew he had felt some regret...|[[Harry Potter]] on Peter Pettigrew about regretting betraying his friends to [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]].|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows}}

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'''Peter Pettigrew''', <small>[[Order of Merlin|O.M. (First Class)]]</small>, (c. [[1960s|1960]]—[[March]] [[1998]]), also known by his nickname "'''Wormtail'''",<ref name="PoA">''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''</ref> was a [[Wizardkind|wizard]] and son of Mr and [[Peter Pettigrew's mother|Mrs Pettigrew]]. He began attending [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] in [[1971]] and was sorted into [[Gryffindor]] house. During his years at Hogwarts, he became one of the [[Marauders]]; he was best friends with [[Sirius Black]], [[James Potter I|James Potter]], and [[Remus Lupin]], and together they created the [[Marauder's Map]].

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'''Peter Pettigrew''', <small>[[Order of Merlin|Order of Merlin, First Class]]</small>, (c. [[1960s|1960]]—[[March]] [[1998]]), also known by his nickname '''Wormtail'''<ref name="PoA">''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''</ref>, was a [[Wizardkind|wizard]] and son of Mr. and [[Peter Pettigrew's mother|Mrs. Pettigrew]]. He began attending [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] in [[1971]] and was sorted into [[Gryffindor]] house. During his years at Hogwarts, he became one of the [[Marauders]]; he was best friends with [[James Potter I|James Potter]], [[Sirius Black]], and [[Remus Lupin]], and together they created the [[Marauder's Map]]. During the [[First Wizarding War]], Peter was a member of the [[Order of the Phoenix]] but became a double agent when he defected to [[Lord Voldemort]]. He was made [[Secret-Keeper]] for the [[Potter family|Potters]] when they went into hiding with the use of the [[Fidelius Charm]], and betrayed James, his wife [[Lily Evans|Lily]], and their son, [[Harry Potter|Harry]] to [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]]. After Voldemort's fall, he faked his own death and [[wikipedia:Frameup|framed]] Sirius for betraying James and Lily, as well as for his own murder and those of the [[Peter Pettigrew's victims|twelve muggles]] he killed during his escape. Peter spent twelve years living in his [[Animagus]] form as the [[Weasley family]]'s pet rat, '''Scabbers'''.<ref name="PoA" /> However, his identity was exposed by Sirius and Remus in [[1994]], and Pettigrew, with nowhere else to go, sought protection in returning to the service of Lord Voldemort, whom he found in the forests of [[Albania]].

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During the [[First Wizarding War]], Peter was a member of the [[Order of the Phoenix]], but became a spy when he defected to [[Lord Voldemort]]. He was made [[Secret-Keeper]] for the [[Potter family|Potters]] when they went into hiding with the use of the [[Fidelius Charm]], and betrayed James, his wife [[Lily Evans|Lily]], and their son, [[Harry Potter|Harry]] to [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]]. After Voldemort's fall, he faked his own death and [[wikipedia:Frameup|framed]] Sirius for betraying James and Lily, as well as for his own murder and those of the [[Peter Pettigrew's victims|twelve Muggles]] he killed during his escape.

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Pettigrewplayedakeyrole in Voldemort's [[Return of the Dark Lord|rebirth]] andcontinued to serve him during the [[SecondWizarding War]].Inthe spring of [[1998]], during the [[Skirmish at Malfoy Manor]], in a moment of rare mercy, he hesitated to strangle Harry. When Harry reminded him of his [[life debt]],<ref name="DH"/> the[[PeterPettigrew'ssilverhand|silverhand]]LordVoldemorthadgivenPettigrewinterpretedhishesitationasweaknessordisloyalty, andstrangledhim to death.<!--DoNOTput that Lord Voldemort killedhim.WehavenoevidencethatVoldemort consciously killed Pettigrew. The hand had been enchanted to do on its own.-->

Pettigrew played a key role in Voldemort's [[Return of the Dark Lord|rebirth]] and continued to serve him during the [[Second Wizarding War]]. In the spring of [[1998]], during the [[Skirmish at Malfoy Manor]], in a moment of rare mercy, he hesitated to strangle Harry. When Harry reminded him of his [[life debt]],<ref name="DH" /> the [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver hand]] Lord Voldemort had given Pettigrew interpreted his hesitation as weakness or disloyalty, and strangled him to death.<!--Do NOT put that Lord Voldemort killed him. We have no evidence that Voldemort consciously killed Pettigrew. The hand had been enchanted to do on its own.-->

==Biography==

==Biography==

===Early life===

===Early life===

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Peter was born around [[1960]]. Little is known of his childhood. He was the son of [[Peter Pettigrew's mother|Mrs. Pettigrew]]. It is most likely that his parents were magical, as his mother was part of the [[wizarding world]].

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Peter Pettigrew was born around [[1960]]. His [[Peter Pettigrew's mother|mother]] was a [[wizardkind|witch]].

===Hogwarts years===

===Hogwarts years===

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[[File:YoungWormtail.jpg|thumb|190px|Peter Pettigrew as a teenager.]]

{{Quote|Hero-worshipped Black and Potter. Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him... Stupid boy... Foolish boy...|[[Minerva McGonagall]] on Pettigrew|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

{{Quote|Hero-worshipped Black and Potter. Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him... Stupid boy... Foolish boy...|[[Minerva McGonagall]] on Pettigrew|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

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Pettigrew began attending [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] in [[1971]] and was sorted into [[Gryffindor]] house. He soon became friends with [[James Potter I|James Potter]], [[Remus Lupin]], [[Sirius Black]] fellow Gryffindors he idolised for their popularity and talent. Pettigrew took part in James and Sirius' bullying of [[Severus Snape]], a [[Slytherin]] boy in the same year as the Marauders, though it is unlikely he would have dared to bully Snape without his friends protecting him.

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[[File:YoungWormtail.jpg|thumb|left|155px|Peter Pettigrew as a teenager.]]

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[[File:Mauraders.JPG|thumb|left|200px|PeterPettigrewwithJames, Sirius and Remus]]He,James and Siriussoondiscovered Remus to be a [[werewolf]],buttheydidnotabandonhimasmanyotherwizardswouldhave. Instead, they spent years learning how to become [[Animagus|Animagi]] sothattheycouldaccompanyRemusduringhistransformations. Pettigrew'sAnimagusformwasa[[rat]],fromwhichhis nickname "Wormtail" was derived. The four friends called themselves the [[Marauders]] and designed a [[Marauder's Map|map]] tonavigateHogwarts.<refname="PoA"/>Pettigrew's rat form helped him slip through the [[WhompingWillow]]'sbranchesandimmobilisethetree,inorder to lethimselfandtheMaraudersenterthe [[Shrieking Shack]].

Professor [[MinervaMcGonagall]] described Pettigrew as a "stupidandfoolishboy" whohero-worshippedSirius and James.Shealsostatedthat Pettigrew wasalessthanaveragestudent and wasnotcapableoffightingwithSirius.

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He, James and Sirius soon discovered Remus to be a [[werewolf]],but they did not abandon him as many other wizards would have. Instead, they spent years learning how to become [[Animagus|Animagi]] so that they could accompany Remus during his transformations. Pettigrew'sAnimagus form was a [[rat]],fromwhich his nickname"Wormtail" wasderived.The four friends called themselves the [[Marauders]] and designeda[[Marauder'sMap|map]]to navigate Hogwarts.<ref name="PoA" /> Pettigrew'sratformhelpedhimslipthrough the [[Whomping Willow]]'s branches and immobilisethetreeinordertolet himself and the Marauders enter the [[Shrieking Shack]].

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Professor [[Minerva McGonagall]] described Pettigrew as a "stupid and foolish boy" who hero-worshipped Sirius and James. She also stated that Pettigrew was a less than average student and was not capable of fighting with Sirius. She was somewhat harsh with him during their years of student-teacher relationship.

===First Wizarding War===

===First Wizarding War===

====Order of the Phoenix membership and betrayal====

====Order of the Phoenix membership and betrayal====

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[[File:Orderphoto.JPG|thumb|200px|Peter and the original [[Orderof the Phoenix]].]]

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{{Quote|You sold Lily and James to Voldemort, didn't you?"<br>"I didn't ''mean'' to! The Dark Lord... You've no idea of the weaponshe possesses.|[[RemusLupin]] and Pettigrew, in the [[Shrieking Shack]]|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)}}

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{{Quote|You sold Lily and James to Voldemort. Do you deny it?|[[Sirius Black]] to Pettigrew, in the [[Shrieking Shack]]|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

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After graduating from Hogwarts, Pettigrew and his friends joined the [[Order of the Phoenix]] and fought against [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] and the [[Death Eaters]] during the [[First Wizarding War]]. However, at some point, Pettigrew began working as a double agent for Voldemort, having come to the belief that nothing could be gained from opposing him. Despite being considered a low-ranking soldier for his cowardice and general lack of usefulness, Pettigrew was given the [[Dark Mark]] and accepted into the ranks of the [[Death Eaters]]. After a [[Sybill Trelawney's first prophecy|prophecy]] was made regarding [[Harry Potter]] and the [[Tom Riddle|Dark Lord]], [[James and Lily Potter]] took their son and went into hiding. In an attempt at misdirection, they were convinced to select Pettigrew as their [[Secret-Keeper]] by [[Sirius Black]]. On [[Halloween]] night 1981, Pettigrew betrayed his friends, and [[Tom Riddle|Voldemort]] [[Attack at Godric's Hollow (1981)|killed]] James and Lily, but was unable to do the same to their son when his [[Killing Curse]] rebounded, destroying his physical form.<ref name="PoA" /> Upon arriving at the wreckage of the Potters' house, Pettigrew deduced what had happened, took [[Tom Riddle's wand|Voldemort's wand]]<ref>[[Rumours!]] section of J.K. Rowling's Official site</ref>, which was left among the rubble, fearing the Ministry would discover his treason through [[Prior Incantato|inspecting it]], and hid it in an undisclosed location.

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[[File:Orderphoto.JPG|thumb|220px|Peter and the original [[Order of the Phoenix]].]]

After graduating from Hogwarts, Pettigrew and his friends joined the [[Order of the Phoenix]] and fought against [[Tom Riddle|LordVoldemort]]and the [[Death Eaters]] during the [[First Wizarding War]]. However, atsomepoint, Pettigrew beganworkingasaspyfor Voldemort, having come to the belief that nothingcouldbegainedfromopposinghim. Despite being considered a low-ranking soldier for his cowardice and general lack of usefulness, Pettigrew was given the [[DarkMark]] andacceptedintothe ranks of the Death Eaters. After a [[Sybill Trelawney's first prophecy|prophecy]] was made regarding [[Harry Potter]] and the DarkLord,[[James and Lily Potter]] took their son and went into hiding. In an attempt at misdirection, they were convinced to select Pettigrew as their [[Secret-Keeper]] by [[Sirius Black]]. On [[Hallowe'en]] night 1981, Pettigrew betrayed his friends, and Voldemort [[Attack at Godric's Hollow (1981)|killed]] James and Lily, but was unable to do the same to their son when his [[Killing Curse]] rebounded, destroying his physical form.<ref name="PoA" /> Upon arriving at the wreckage of the Potters' house, Pettigrew deduced what had happened, took [[Tom Riddle's wand|Voldemort's wand]],<ref>[[Rumours!]] section of J.K. Rowling's Official site</ref> which was left among the rubble, fearing the Ministry would discover his treason through [[Priori Incantatem|inspecting it]], and hid it in an undisclosed location.

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[[File:PettigrewKillsMuggles.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Pettigrew casting the [[Blasting Curse]] on the Muggles in [[1981]].]]

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Apart from James and Lily, Sirius Black was the only person who knew that Pettigrew had been their Secret-Keeper. When he realisedwhat Pettigrew had done, he tracked him down hoping to avenge his friends. Whenhe closed in on him,Pettigrewscreamed that Sirius had betrayed the Potters for everyone to hear, and then killed [[Peter Pettigrew's victims|twelve]] [[Muggle]]s by blowing up the street with a [[Blasting Curse]], which created a crater large enough that the sewer pipes were showing. He then faked his own death by cutting off a finger andleaving it behind as he transformed into a rat and fled. Sirius was arrested for being a [[DeathEaters|Death Eater]],killing Pettigrew and the Muggles,and betraying the Potters, and was imprisoned in [[Azkaban]] without a trial. The surviving Muggles who witnessed the event had their [[Memory Charm|memories erased]] and were given an excuse by the [[Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes#Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee|Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee]] that a gas-leak occurred. Pettigrew was unjustly awarded the [[Order of Merlin]] for his confrontation with Sirius, which, along with the finger that they recovered, were "posthumously" givento his mother.<ref name="PoA" /> Even the otherremainingMarauder,Remus, believed that Sirius betrayed them and killed Pettigrew.

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{{Quote|Black was vicious, he didn't''kill'' Pettigrew... He''destroyed'' him!Afinger; that all that wasleft&mdash;a finger!Nothingelse.|[[CorneliusFudge]] recounting the supposedbrutality of Pettigrew's "death"|HarryPotterand the PrisonerofAzkaban(film)}}

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[[File:PettigrewKillsMuggles.jpg|thumb|left|240px|Pettigrew casting the [[Blasting Curse]] on the Muggles in [[1981]].]]

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Apart from James and Lily, Sirius Black was the only person who knew that Pettigrew had been their Secret-Keeper. When he realised what Pettigrew had done, due to the hiding place was empty with no signs of a struggle, he tracked him down hoping to avenge his friends. When he closed in on him, Pettigrew screamed that Sirius had betrayed the Potters for everyone to hear, and before Black could draw [[Sirius Black's wand|his wand]], Pettigrew swiftly pulled out his from his back and then killed [[Peter Pettigrew's victims|twelve]] [[Muggle]]s by blowing up the street with a [[Blasting Curse]], which created a crater large enough that the sewer pipes were showing. He then faked his own death by cutting off a finger and leaving it behind as he transformed into a rat and fled. Sirius was arrested for being a [[Death Eaters|Death Eater]], killing Pettigrew and the Muggles, and betraying the Potters, and was imprisoned in [[Azkaban]] without a trial. The surviving Muggles who witnessed the event had their [[Memory Charm|memories erased]] and were given an excuse by the [[Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes#Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee|Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee]] that a gas-leak occurred. Pettigrew was unjustly awarded the [[Order of Merlin]] for his confrontation with Sirius, which, along with the finger that they recovered, were "posthumously" given to his mother.<ref name="PoA" /> Even the other remaining Marauder, Remus, believed that Sirius betrayed them and killed Pettigrew. As the time passed, due to misconceptions, many believed that Black drew his wand and killed Pettigrew before the other had a chance of even drawing.

===Between the wars===

===Between the wars===

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{{Dialogue a-b-a|Fred|Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was. And he's been off-colour for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly. One swallow – he probably didn't feel a thing.|Ron|He bit Goyle for us once! Remember, Harry?|His finest hour. Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory ...|[[Fred Weasley|Fred]] comforting [[Ronald Weasley|Ron]] on the perceived death of Scabbers.|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

{{Dialogue a-b-a|Fred|Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was. And he's been off-colour for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly. One swallow – he probably didn't feel a thing.|Ron|He bit Goyle for us once! Remember, Harry?|His finest hour. Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory ...|[[Fred Weasley|Fred]] comforting [[Ronald Weasley|Ron]] on the perceived death of Scabbers.|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

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[[File:Scabbers_hppoa.jpg|left|thumb|Peter as Scabbers]]

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[[File:Scabbers_hppoa.jpg|thumb|200px|Peter as Scabbers]]

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Pettigrew went into hiding as Scabbers the rat, hoping to avoid [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]]'s other supporters. As Voldemort had met his downfall on Peter's instructions, the [[Death Eaters]] suspected him of being a traitor. Looking for a wizarding family to take him in, he came into the possession of [[Percy Weasley]] and, later, Percy's brother [[Ronald Weasley|Ron]]. It was clear Scabbers was an extraordinary rat; he was unusually old for a rat of his species, which had a life expectancy of three years, yet the Weasley family owned him for twelve. The reason he chose to be adopted by a wizard family was that he could keep track of the news in the wizarding world and could rejoin his master should he return to power. Positioned as he was, he could also bring [[Harry Potter]] as a welcome-back gift, so no Death Eater would dare claim him a traitor, but he never took action during his time as Ron's pet, because Voldemort was not strong enough to protect him. Despite once biting Gregory Goyle on the knuckle when he attempted to steal Harry and Ron's food, Ron generally thought that Scabbers was useless, butshowed his love for Scabbers as he became quite upset when he thought Scabbers had been eaten by [[Hermione Granger]]'s cat, [[Crookshanks]].

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Pettigrew went into hiding as Scabbers the rat, hoping to avoid [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]]'s other supporters. As Voldemort had met his downfall on Peter's information, the [[Death Eaters]] suspected him of being a traitor. Looking for a wizarding family to take him in, he came into the possession of [[Percy Weasley]] and, later, Percy's brother [[Ronald Weasley|Ron]]. It was clear Scabbers was an extraordinary rat; he was unusually old for a rat of his species, which had a life expectancy of three years, yet the Weasley family owned him for twelve. The reason he chose to be adopted by a wizard family was that he could keep track of the news in the wizarding world and could rejoin his master should he return to power. Positioned as he was, he could also bring [[Harry Potter]] as a welcome-back gift, so no Death Eater would dare claim him a traitor, but he never took action during his time as Ron's pet, because Voldemort was not strong enough to protect him. Despite once biting Gregory Goyle on the knuckle when he attempted to steal Harry and Ron's food, Ron generally thought that Scabbers was useless, since all Scabbers did was 'eat and sleep.' However, Ron didshow his affections for Scabbers as he became quite upset when he thought Scabbers had been eaten by [[Hermione Granger]]'s cat, [[Crookshanks]].

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[[File:Scabbers_to_Pettigrew.gif|thumb|231px|Pettigrew being transformed into his original human form.]]

====Exposure====

====Exposure====

{{Dialogue a-b-c|Ron Weasley|What d'you mean? &mdash; of course he's a rat &mdash;|Remus Lupin|No, he's not. He's a wizard.|Sirius Black|An Animagus. By the name of Peter Pettigrew.|Sirius and Remus expose Peter|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

{{Dialogue a-b-c|Ron Weasley|What d'you mean? &mdash; of course he's a rat &mdash;|Remus Lupin|No, he's not. He's a wizard.|Sirius Black|An Animagus. By the name of Peter Pettigrew.|Sirius and Remus expose Peter|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

In [[1993]], [[Sirius Black]] [[Azkaban escapes#1993|escaped]] from [[Azkaban]] after seeing a picture of Pettigrew's rat form in a ''[[Daily Prophet]]'' article about the [[Weasley family]]'s trip to [[Egypt]].<ref name="PoA" /> Soon, Scabbers began to thin and bald. Ron thought this was due to fear of [[Hermione Granger]]'s new cat [[Crookshanks]], while Harry thought that Scabbers was finally reaching the end of his lifespan. In fact, he had been agitated by the news of [[Sirius Black]]'s escape from Azkaban, afraid that he would find him and finally avenge the Potters. Eventually, Pettigrew faked his death yet again, by biting himself and leaving blood, leaving Ron to believe that Crookshanks had eaten the rat. This incident almost ruined Ron and Hermione's friendship until he was discovered hiding in a milk jug by Hermione, in [[Rubeus Hagrid's cabin]].

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[[File:PettigrewPoA.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Pettigrew cornered in the [[Shrieking Shack]], whimpering for mercy.]]That same year, [[Remus Lupin]], who had been unaware of Pettigrew's duplicity and believed him to be dead, began teaching [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] at Hogwarts. He began to suspect the truth when he saw Peter's name appear on the [[Marauder's Map]], a charmed parchment created by him and his friends that came into Harry's possession through[[ Fred and George Weasley]]. On [[6 June]], [[1994]], Scabbers was found hiding in Hagrid's hut. When Ron attempted to bring him back to the castle, Scabbers tried to escape, but was caught by Ron in the shadow of the [[Whomping Willow]]. There, Ron and Pettigrew were dragged to the [[Shrieking Shack]] by Sirius, followed immediately by Ron's friends [[Harry Potter]] and [[Hermione Granger]]. After heated discussion and the arrival of Professors Lupin and [[Severus Snape|Snape]], Pettigrew was unmasked by Sirius and Remus. He initially attempted to redirect the blame to Sirius, but when the truth came out and all the evidence was against him, he appealed for mercy to each person in the Shack (other than Snape, who had been unconscious since before Pettigrew's exposure). Each of them was disgusted by his cowardice, and the fact that he would dare ask them for mercy after deceiving them in so many ways infuriated them even more.

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In[[1993]],[[Sirius Black]][[Azkabanescapes#1993|escaped]]from[[Azkaban]]afterseeingapictureof Pettigrew'sratform in a ''[[DailyProphet]]''articleaboutthe[[Weasleyfamily]]'s trip to [[Egypt]]<ref name="PoA" />. Soon, Scabbersbeganto thin and go bald. Ron thought this was because he was just frightened of [[Hermione Granger]]'s cat[[Crookshanks]].Infact,hehadbeenilleversinceSiriusBlackescapedfromAzkaban and was afraid that he would find him andfinallyavenge the Potters. Eventually,Pettigrewfakedhisdeathyetagain.Ronthought that Crookshanks had eaten the rat,whichalmostruinedRonandHermione's friendshipuntilhewasdiscoveredhiding in [[RubeusHagrid's cabin]].

[[File:PettigrewPoA.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Pettigrew cornered in the [[Shrieking Shack]].]]

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That same year, [[Remus Lupin]], who had been unaware of Pettigrew's duplicity and believed him to be dead, began teaching [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] at Hogwarts. He began to suspect the truth when he saw Peter's name appear on the [[Marauder's Map]], a charmed parchment created by him and his friends that came into Harry's possession. On [[6 June]], [[1994]], Scabbers was found hiding in Hagrid's hut. When Ron attempted to bring him back to the castle, Scabbers tried to escape, but was caught by Ron in the shadow of the [[Whomping Willow]]. There, Ron and Pettigrew were dragged to the [[Shrieking Shack]] by Sirius, followed immediately by Ron's friends [[Harry Potter]] and [[Hermione Granger]]. After heated discussion and the arrival of Professors Lupin and [[Severus Snape|Snape]], Pettigrew was unmasked by Sirius and Remus. He initially attempted to redirect the blame to Sirius, but when the truth came out and all the evidence was against him, he appealed for mercy to each person in the Shack (other than Snape, who had been unconscious since before Pettigrew's exposure). Each of them was disgusted by his cowardice, and the fact that he would dare ask them for mercy after deceiving them in so many ways infuriated them even more.

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{{Quote|Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord… you have no idea… he has weapons you can’t imagine…. I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen…. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me — He — he was taking over everywhere! Wh — what was there to be gained by refusing him?|Pettigrew after he is exposed}}

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[[File:Petercasadelosgritso.jpg|thumb|200px|Pettigrew is discovered]]Remus and Sirius planned to kill their old friend, but Harry intervened after Pettigrew claimed that Harry's father never would have killed him. This, along with Harry's own belief that his father would not want his best friends to become killers, led him to be merciful. Although Harry had intended to hand Pettigrew over to the [[Dementor]]s and use him to clear Sirius's name at last, this created a [[life debt]] between Harry and Pettigrew.

The plan was upset, though, when the full moon rose, and, as Remus had forgotten to take his [[Wolfsbane Potion]] after discovering Pettigrew's name on the Marauder's Map, he transformed into an uncontrollable werewolf. Sirius was forced to take on his [[Animagus]] form, that of a dog, to protect Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and Peter took advantage of the chaos, cursing Ron with Remus's wand, transforming into his rat form, and fleeing.

The plan was upset, though, when the full moon rose, and, as Remus had forgotten to take his [[Wolfsbane Potion]] after discovering Pettigrew's name on the Marauder's Map, he transformed into an uncontrollable werewolf. Sirius was forced to take on his [[Animagus]] form, that of a dog, to protect Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and Peter took advantage of the chaos, cursing Ron with Remus's wand, transforming into his rat form, and fleeing.

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===Second Wizarding War===

===Second Wizarding War===

====The Servant rejoins his master====

====The Servant rejoins his master====

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{{Quote|Your devotion is nothing more than cowardice. You would not be here if you had anywhere else to go.|Lord Voldemort to Peter Pettigrew before the [[Quidditch World Cup]]|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}

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{{Quote|Your devotion is nothing more than cowardice. You would not be here if you had anywhere else to go.|Lord Voldemort to Peter Pettigrew before the [[Quidditch World Cup]]|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}

After his escape from capture at Hogwarts, Pettigrew had no choice but to rejoin his [[Tom Riddle|master]], or Sirius and Remus would surely kill him. He went to retrieve [[Tom Riddle's wand|Voldemort's wand]], then travelled to [[Albania]] where he learned from the rats there of a place in the forest where the creatures feared to travel. They said a dark shadow ([[Tom Riddle|Voldemort]]) took over the animals and killed them.

After his escape from capture at Hogwarts, Pettigrew had no choice but to rejoin his [[Tom Riddle|master]], or Sirius and Remus would surely kill him. He went to retrieve [[Tom Riddle's wand|Voldemort's wand]], then travelled to [[Albania]] where he learned from the rats there of a place in the forest where the creatures feared to travel. They said a dark shadow ([[Tom Riddle|Voldemort]]) took over the animals and killed them.

−

On his way to his master, Peter ran into [[Bertha Jorkins]], a [[British Ministry of Magic|Ministry]] witch who was on holiday in Albania, while she had stopped at an inn for food. Although she recognised him, Pettigrew was able to lure her into the forest and overpower her, before handing her over to the Dark Lord. Under torture, Jorkins gave them information that helped Voldemort make plans for an attack on Harry Potter, including information on the [[Triwizard Tournament]] and the location of a faithful Death Eater.

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On his way to his master, Peter ran into [[Bertha Jorkins]], a [[British Ministry of Magic|Ministry]] witch who was on holiday in Albania, while he had stopped at an inn for food. Although she recognised him, Pettigrew was able to lure her into the forest and overpower her, before handing her over to the Dark Lord. Under torture, Jorkins gave them information that helped Voldemort make plans for an attack on Harry Potter, including information on the [[Triwizard Tournament]] and the location of a faithful Death Eater.

+

[[File:Wormitail&Voldemort.png|thumb|left|250px|Peter and Lord Voldemort making the plot]]

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Pettigrew milked [[Nagini's venom|venom]] from Voldemort's snake, [[Nagini]], to strengthen him and provide him with a [[Rudimentary Body Potion|rudimentary body]].<ref name="GoF">''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]''</ref> He carried Voldemort's weak, small body on the long journey back to Britain, where they took up temporary residence in the [[Riddle House]] outside of [[Little Hangleton]]. Voldemort called Peter by his Marauder name, "Wormtail."<ref name="GoF" /> Over time, Pettigrew tried unsuccessfully to convince Voldemort to use a wizard other than Harry Potter to rebuild his body, but Voldemort saw this as an attempt at desertion and claimed that Pettigrew was regretting ever returning to him in the first place. Voldemort noted how Pettigrew always flinched when he set eyes upon him and shuddered when touching him, which further enforced his belief that Pettigrew would have escaped if given the opportunity. When Voldemort ordered Wormtail to turn his chair around so he could face [[Frank Bryce]], Wormtail whimpered before doing so.

For his next assignment, Pettigrew was sent with [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr.]], the faithful Death Eater Jorkins had mentioned, to capture former [[Auror]], [[Alastor Moody]], who was set to teach [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] at Hogwarts. While Crouch became Moody's doubleand set off in his place to Hogwarts, Pettigrew was assigned to watch over the Imperiused [[Bartemius Crouch Sr.|Barty Crouch Sr.]] Pettigrew neglected his duty, with the result that Crouch escaped and nearly sabotaged the plan. However, he was intercepted by Crouch Jr., and Pettigrew was subjected to punishment through the [[Cruciatus Curse]].<ref name="GoF" />

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Pettigrew milked [[Nagini's venom|venom]] from Voldemort's snake, [[Nagini]], to strengthen him and provide him with a [[Rudimentary Body Potion|rudimentary body]].<ref name="GoF">''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]''</ref> He carried Voldemort's weak, small body on the long journey back to Britain, where they took up temporary residence in the [[Riddle House]] outside of [[Little Hangleton]]. Voldemort called Peter by his Marauder name, "Wormtail."<ref name="GoF" /> Over time, Pettigrew tried unsuccessfully to convince Voldemort to use a wizard other than Harry Potter to rebuild his body, but Voldemort saw this as an attempt at desertion and claimed that Pettigrew was regretting ever returning to him in the first place.

Voldemort noted how Pettigrew always flinched when he set eyes upon him and shuddered when touching him, which further enforced his belief that Pettigrew would have escaped if given the opportunity.For his next assignment, Pettigrew was sent with [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr.]], the faithful Death Eater Jorkins had mentioned, to capture former [[Auror]], [[Alastor Moody]], who was set to teach [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] at Hogwarts. While Crouch became Moody's double and set off in his place to Hogwarts, Pettigrew was assigned to watch over the Imperiused [[Bartemius Crouch Sr.|Barty Crouch Sr.]] Pettigrew neglected his duty, with the result that Crouch escaped and nearly sabotaged the plan. However, he was intercepted by Crouch Jr., and Pettigrew was subjected to punishment through the [[Cruciatus Curse]].<ref name="GoF"/>

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====Rebirth of Lord Voldemort====

{{Quote|Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son. Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed, you will revive your master. Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe.|Pettigrew performing the ritual for [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]]'s [[Return of the Dark Lord|rebirth]]|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}

{{Quote|Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son. Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed, you will revive your master. Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe.|Pettigrew performing the ritual for [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]]'s [[Return of the Dark Lord|rebirth]]|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}

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[[File:Cedric's_Death.gif|frame|Cedric Diggory's death.]]

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[[File:Peterpets.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Peteras the "assistant" of SeverusSnape.]]

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Pettigrew played an important role in the [[Returnof the Dark Lord|rebirth of LordVoldemort]]; when Harry Potter was delivered to the [[Little Hangleton graveyard]] per Voldemort's plot, Pettigrew killed [[Cedric Diggory]] on his orders and performed the ritual on Harry by slicing him with a large knife to restore Voldemort to a physical body, reluctantly sacrificing his hand. As a reward for his assistance, Voldemort replaced the hand with a [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver one]].<ref name="GoF" />

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Pettigrew played an important role in the [[Return of the Dark Lord|rebirth of Lord Voldemort]]; when Harry Potter was delivered to the [[Little Hangleton graveyard]] per Voldemort's plot, Pettigrew killed [[Cedric Diggory]] on his orders and performed the ritual to restore Voldemort to a physical body, reluctantly sacrificing his hand. As a reward for his assistance, Voldemort replaced the hand with a [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver one]].<ref name="GoF" />

It can be assumed that this event, along with Sirius Black's later death, made it apparent to the public that Pettigrew was alive and an active Death Eater.

It can be assumed that this event, along with Sirius Black's later death, made it apparent to the public that Pettigrew was alive and an active Death Eater.

After Pettigrew helped Voldemort return to to full power and attain a full body Pettigrew was sent to [[Severus Snape]]'shouse at Spinner's Endto"assist" him, but Snape treated Pettigrew as a servant. Pettigrew was at the house when [[Narcissa Malfoy]]made the [[Unbreakable Vow]] with Snape, [[Bellatrix Lestrange]], serving as Bonder. He did not, however, hear its contents as he had been ordered out of the room by Snape after he was caught eavesdropping at the door.<ref name="HPB">''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''</ref>

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Pettigrew was later assigned to "assist" [[Severus Snape]], but Snape treated Pettigrew as a servant. Pettigrew was at Snape's home when [[Narcissa Malfoy]] made the [[Unbreakable Vow]] with Snape, Narcissa's sister, [[Bellatrix Lestrange]], serving as Bonder.

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He did not, however, hear its contents as he had been ordered out of the room.<ref name="HPB">''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''</ref>

====Skirmish at Malfoy Manor and death====

====Skirmish at Malfoy Manor and death====

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[[File:Worm.jpg|thumb|214px|Wormtail at Malfoy Manor]]{{Quote|You're going to kill me? After I saved your life? You owe me, Wormtail!|Harry Potter, as Pettigrew attempts to strangle him|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows}}

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{{Quote|You're going to kill me? After I saved your life? You owe me, Wormtail!|Harry, reminding Pettigrew of his[[life debt]] as Pettigrew attempts to strangle him|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows}}

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In the summer of [[1997]], Pettigrew was staying at [[Malfoy Manor]], the headquarters of the [[Death Eaters]], and acted as jailer for those imprisoned in the cellar there. During the [[Meeting at Malfoy Manor]], he was ordered by Voldemort to check on their prisoner, [[Garrick Ollivander|Ollivander]] the wandmaker, in the cellar and keep him quiet. Ollivander had also been forced to make a [[Peter Pettigrew's second wand|new wand]] for Pettigrew.

Around Easter of [[1998]], at the height of the [[Second Wizarding War]], Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dean and Griphook were brought to the Manor by a group of [[Snatchers]] led by [[Fenrir Greyback]]. Bellatrix Lestrange isolated Hermione for interrogation and [[Cruciatus Curse|torture]] as to how the trio obtained [[Godric Gryffindor's Sword]], which she thought secure in her [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank|Gringotts]] [[Lestrange Vault|vault]]. When they heard a noise from the cellar below, Pettigrew was sent to investigate.

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Inthesummerof [[1997]], Pettigrew was staying at [[Malfoy Manor]], the headquarters of the [[Death Eaters]],andactedasjailorforthoseimprisonedthere. Duringthe[[MeetingatMalfoy Manor]], he was ordered by Voldemorttocheck on their prisoner, [[GarrickOllivander|Ollivander]],andmakehimstayquiet. AroundEasterof[[1998]],attheheightofthe[[SecondWizardingWar]], Harry, Ron,andHermionewerebroughttotheManor by a groupof[[Snatchers]]ledby[[FenrirGreyback]].BellatrixLestrangeisolatedHermioneforinterrogationand [[Cruciatus Curse|torture]] as to howthetrioobtained[[GodricGryffindor'sSword]], whichshethoughtsecureinher[[GringottsWizardingBank|Gringotts]] [[Lestrange Vault|vault]]. Whenthey heard a noise from the dungeon below, Pettigrew was sent to investigate.

{{Quote|Harry…saw the ratlike man’s small watery eyes widen with fear and surprise: He seemed just as shocked as Harry at what his hand had done, at the tiny, merciful impulse it had betrayed, and he continued to struggle more powerfully, as though to undo that moment of weakness….|Pettigrew shortly before strangling himself.|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows}}

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==Physicalappearance==

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[[File:Peter_Pettigrew_at_Spinner's_End_03.JPG|thumb|Pettigrew in 1996, nearly two years prior to his death.]]

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Pettigrew was an extremely short man (no taller than Harry when he was thirteen or Hermione when she was fourteen years old) with grubby skin, small, watery eyes, and a pointed nose, all of which were lingering attributes of his rat form; he even spoke in a squeaky voice that is another lingering attribute of his animagus form. In his youth, his hair was mousy brown, but by his mid-thirties, it had thinned out, lost a lot of its colour and acquired a large bald patch.

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The noisetheyhadheardwasthe[[house-elf]][[Dobby]][[Apparition|apparating]]awaywithsomeoftheprisoners in thecellar.Whenheopened the door, he wastackledbyRonandHarry, whohadfreedthemselves of theirrestraints. HebegantostrangleHarry,butHarryremindedhimthatheowedhimalifedebt.WhenPettigrewhesitated, his briefmomentofmercycaused his silverhandtoturnonhim, stranglingandkillinghim,despiteHarryandRon'sbestefforts to restrainit.<refname="DH"/>

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The stressheenduredalsoapparentlycausedhim to appear middle-agedbyhismid-thirties. Hewasalsodescribedas"fat" in hisyouth,butwhenforced to return to his human form in the [[Shrieking Shack]], he lookedasthoughhelost plenty of weight in a shorttime, mostlyduetohis stress of fearingSirius' wrath. In[[1981]],hecutofftheindexfingerofhisrighthandaspartofaploytofake his owndeath,whichisreflected in his "Scabbers"form,and,fourteenyearslater, heseveredhisentirerighthandattherequestof Lord Voldemort. Voldemort used magic to givePettigrewashining silver, glove-like replacement.

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==Physical appearance==

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[[File:Wormtail DH1 Wallart02.jpg|thumb|left|100px|Peter Pettigrew in 1997 just before his death.]]

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Pettigrew was an extremely short man (no taller than Hermione when she was only fourteen years old.) with small, watery eyes, and a pointed nose. In his youth, his hair was mousy brown, but by his mid-thirties, it had thinned out, lost its colour, and acquired a large bald patch. He was also described as "fat" in his youth, but when forced to return to his human form in the [[Shrieking Shack]], he looked as though he lost plenty of weight in a short time, mostly due to his stress of fearing Sirius' wrath. Pettigrew spoke with a squeaky voice. In [[1981]], he cut off the index finger of his right hand as part of a ploy to fake his own death, and, fourteen years later, he severed his entire right hand at the request of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort used magic to give Pettigrew a shining silver, glove-like replacement.

==Personality and traits==

==Personality and traits==

{{Dialogue a-b|Peter|You don’t understand! [[Tom Riddle|He]] would have killed me, Sirius!|Sirius|THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!|Pettigrew and Sirius in [[1994]]|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

{{Dialogue a-b|Peter|You don’t understand! [[Tom Riddle|He]] would have killed me, Sirius!|Sirius|THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!|Pettigrew and Sirius in [[1994]]|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

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[[File:Wormtail_in_Deathly_Hallows_Part_1.jpg|thumb|150px|Wormtail]]

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Peter Pettigrew was characterised by weakness. Despite having been Sorted into [[Gryffindor]], he did not possess true bravery, possibly proving that the Hat saw potential in him rather than any actual inborn courage, potential that he never lived up to. The Sorting Hat may have mistaken his adoration of James and Sirius for steadfastness, or sensed in him a desire to surround himself with respected individuals and believed that he would make a compatible friend to a Gryffindor; Pettigrew clearly looked up to strong, courageous people and it is possible that the Sorting Hat put him there because he wished to absorb that quality. It is also likely that Pettigrew requested the Sorting Hat to place him in Gryffindor, with his friends, just as Harry Potter would later request not to be placed in Slytherin.

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Peter Pettigrew was characterised by weakness. Despite having been Sorted into [[Gryffindor]], he did not possess true bravery, possibly proving that the Hat saw potential in him rather than any actual inborn courage. In his youth, he latched onto James Potter and Sirius Black, more talented and popular students, idolizing them and living vicariously through their accomplishments, as well as joining them in bullying other students, such as Severus Snape, whom he would not have been likely to cross without James and Sirius to back him up.

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[[File:Mauraders.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Peter as a teenagerwithhisfriends.]]

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In his youth, he latched onto James Potter and Sirius Black, more talented and popular students, idolising them and living vicariously through their accomplishments, as well as joining them in bullying other students, such as Severus Snape, whom he would not have been likely to cross without James and Sirius to back him up. Due to the huge difference in terms of talent, bravery, and popularity, Peter was more of a hanger-onthanan actualequal.

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Pettigrew defected from the [[Order of the Phoenix]] and betrayed his closest friends to Lord Voldemort when his life was threatened, showing a high level of selfishness. <ref name="PoA" /> Even Voldemort viewed him with disdain; the only reason why he kept him alive was because he occasionally proved to be useful. <ref name="GoF"/> When Voldemort fell, Peter neither attempted to find him nor tried to kill Harry under [[Albus Dumbledore]]'s watchful eye, until he was sure Voldemort would be revived to protect him. When cornered by Sirius and Remus, Peter shamelessly begged for mercy, despite having used and betrayed them.

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Pettigrew defected from the [[Order of the Phoenix]] and betrayed his closest friends to Lord Voldemort when his life was threatened, showing selfishness and disloyalty at the core of his being.<ref name="PoA" /> Even Voldemort viewed him with disdain; the only reason why he kept him alive was because he occasionally proved to be useful.<ref name="GoF" /> When Voldemort fell, Peter neither attempted to find him nor tried to kill Harry under [[Albus Dumbledore]]'s watchful eye, until he was sure Voldemort would be revived to protect him. When cornered by Sirius and Remus, Peter shamelessly begged for mercy, despite having used and betrayed them.

{{Quote|If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter.|Sirius Black to Pettigrew|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

{{Quote|If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter.|Sirius Black to Pettigrew|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

Pettigrew was an opportunist, who allied with the side that seemed strongest and appeared to be winning — thus becoming "friends" with James and Sirius in school, and then leading him to become a Death Eater when the opportunity arose. He was loyal only to himself and acted in whatever his best interest was at the moment. He expected that he would be rewarded for leading Voldemort to [[Harry Potter]], and later had the same expectations with Bertha Jorkins, assuming Voldemort would reward him for capturing a [[British Ministry of Magic|Ministry of Magic]] employee, despite not knowing the extent of her usefulness. He only returned to a broken down Voldemort simply because he had no other choice, as the other side was aiming to kill him, and would have gone to anywhere else if he had more options, seeing Voldemort at the time was too weakened to be the victorious side, along with the task of caring for his lord being tedious and unpleasant.

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Pettigrew was anopportunist, whoalliedwiththesidethatseemedstrongest and appeared to bewinning—thusleadinghimtobecomeaDeathEaterwhentheopportunityarose.Hewasloyalonlytohimselfandactedinwhateverhisbestinterestwasatthemoment. He expectedthathewouldberewardedforleadingVoldemortto[[HarryPotter]],andlaterhadthesameexpectationswithBerthaJorkins,assumingVoldemortwouldrewardhimforcapturing a [[BritishMinistryofMagic|MinistryofMagic]]employee, despitenotknowingtheextentofherusefulness. He onlyreturned to abrokendownVoldemortsimplybecausehehadnootherchoice,astheothersidewasaimingtokillhim,andwouldhavegone to anywhereelseifhehadmoreoptions, seeingVoldemortatthetimewastooweakened to be the victoriousside.

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In spite of others claiming that Pettigrew was a"weak, talentlessthing,"hewasatleastcunningenough to escapeSiriusafterVoldemort'sfirstdefeat,framehisformerfriendforhiscrimes,andfakehisowndeathwhilekillingtwelvepeoplewithasinglecurse,livingforyearsinhis [[Animagus]]form. He originallyformulatedhisplantoreturntotheDarkLordwithoutbeingaccusedatraitorbyhiscolleagueDeathEaters:toturnHarryinasawelcomeback present and be honoured above all others; though a wellthoughtoutplanandhe waitedpatiently, itwasupsetwhenPettigrew'sformwas exposedprematurely. He alsomanaged to manipulateBerthaJorkinstoaccompanyhimwithease,whenhebroughthertoLordVoldemort.WhenmomentsofdesperationgraspsontoPettigrew,he waswilling to amputatehisownlimbstoserve hispurposes, suchashisfingertofakehis death, and hishand to revive Voldemort, the latterbeing promised with a worthy reward.

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Inspiteofothersclaimingthat Pettigrew wasa"weak,talentlessthing,"hewasatleastcunningenough to escapeSiriusafterVoldemort'sfirstdefeat, framehisformerfriendforhiscrimes,andfakehisowndeathwhilekillingtwelvepeoplewithasinglecurse,livingforyearsin his [[Animagus]] form. He also managedtomanipulateBerthaJorkins to accompanyhimwithease, when hebrought her to LordVoldemort.Pettigrewwasalsowillingtoseverpartsofhisownbody to servehispurposes,suchashisfingertofakehisdeath,andhishandtoreviveVoldemort. Pettigrew'scunning,ambitiousnature,disregardforrules,andthefact that he eventuallybecamea[[DarkWizard]], wouldhavemadehimbettersuitedto[[Slytherin]].WhyhewasplacedinGryffindorisamystery.Itislikelythat the SortingHatmistook his adorationofJamesandSiriusforloyalty, or sensedinhimadesiretosurroundhimselfwithrespectedindividualsandbelievedthathewouldmakeacompatiblefriendtoaGryffindor.ItisalsopossiblethatPettigrewrequestedtheSortingHattoplacehiminGryffindor,withhisfriends, justasHarryPotterwouldlaterrequestnottobeplacedinSlytherin.

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However,despitehistreacherousandcowardly nature, Pettigrew didfeelsomeregretforbetrayinghisfriends,andhehesitated to killHarryPotterwhenremindedof his [[life debt]], in[[1998]].Thoughhequicklytriedtoundothemomentofweakness,his"tinymercifulimpulse"resultedinhisbeingstrangledtodeathby his own [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver hand]].<refname="DH" /> Pettigrew also suggestedthat Voldemort shouldfindanotherenemy to useforhisrebirth, though when Voldemortbegan to suspectthathecaredaboutHarry,PettigrewhastilyclaimedthatHarrymeantnothing to him.ThissuggestedthathemayhaveconsciouslyfeltsomegratitudetowardsHarryforsparinghislife.<ref name="GoF" /> Pettigrew alsorealisedandadmittedthathewasa cowardsaying that he'dneverbeenbravelikeSirius, RemusandJames.Thoughhevaluedhisownlifemorethanthelivesofhisfriends,Pettigrewfeltguiltforbetraying Lily and James, but did not have the couragetoadmit his treacheryuntilitwasforcedoutof him, or toturnagainstVoldemort.Hedidfeelratherunder-appreciatedwhenVoldemortclaimedhimtobeanunintelligentanddisloyalservantwhencomparingtoBartyCrouchJr.WithoutJames,SiriusandRemusprotectinghim,PeterfoundnocouragetogoagainstSnape, whowouldinturnbullyhiminreturnthroughouttheirtimeasDeathEatercolleagues.

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[[File:Dert.jpg|thumb|Wormtails new hand]]

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However, despite his treacherous and cowardly nature, Pettigrew did feel some regret for betraying his friends, and he hesitated to kill Harry Potter when reminded of his [[life debt]], in [[1998]]. Though he quickly tried to undo the moment of weakness, his "tiny merciful impulse" resulted in his being strangled to death by his own [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver hand]].<ref name="DH" /> Pettigrew also suggested that Voldemort should find another enemy to use for his rebirth, though when Voldemort began to suspect that he cared about Harry, Pettigrew hastily claimed that Harry meant nothing to him. This suggested that he may have consciously felt some gratitude towards Harry for sparing his life.<ref name="GoF" /> Pettigrew also realized and admitted that he was a coward saying that he'd never been brave like Sirius, Remus and James. Though he valued his own life more than the lives of his friends, Pettigrew felt guilt for betraying Lily and James, but did not have the courage to admit his treachery or to turn against Voldemort.

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During his time as Scabbers the rat, under the Weasley family's care, Pettigrew was lazy and unmotivated, as all he did was sleep and eat, and only on one occasion did he bit Goyle's knuckle on his owner's behalf. This could be because Pettigrew enjoyed being pampered and waited hand and foot, believing that as a pet rat he did not have to do much and can relax instead, at least until hismomentofreturningtoVoldemorthascome.

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During his time as Scabbers the rat, under the Weasley family's care, Pettigrew was lazy and unmotivated, as all he did was sleep and eat, and only on one occasion did he bit Goyle's knuckle on his owner's behalf. This could be because Pettigrew enjoyed being pampered and waited hand and foot, believing that as a pet rat he did not have to do much and can relax instead, at least until Sirius'escapefromAzakabanpromptedhimintoaction.

==Magical abilities and skills==

==Magical abilities and skills==

{{Quote|Poor wizard though he is, Wormtail was able to follow the instructions I gave him, which would return me to a rudimentary, weak body of my own...|[[Lord Voldemort]] describes Pettigrew's usefulness|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}

{{Quote|Poor wizard though he is, Wormtail was able to follow the instructions I gave him, which would return me to a rudimentary, weak body of my own...|[[Lord Voldemort]] describes Pettigrew's usefulness|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}

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Despite [[Minerva McGonagall|Professor McGonagall]] claiming that Pettigrew was abarelycompetentstudent, he showed a surprising amount of capability in certainsituations. From what is known, Peter does not seem to be any less magically capable than the other three Marauders. In fact, heseemsto be quite adept at using the Dark Arts; perhaps even the most capable of all four.

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Despite [[Minerva McGonagall|Professor McGonagall]] claiming that Peter was lesstalented than his friends, and Voldemort had later denoted him as apoorwizard, he showed a surprising amount of magical capability whenpushed. In fact, from what was known, Peter did not seem to be any less magically-skilled than the other three Marauders, andwasactually quite adept in the Dark Arts (perhaps the most capable of the four in that aspect).

[[File:Pettigrew to Wormtail.gif|thumb|right|300px|Pettigrewtransformationinto a rat.]]

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* '''[[Animagus]]:''' With all the help he could get from his friends, Peter was able to becomeanAnimagus at the early age of fifteen, assuming the shape of a rat. Being unregistered made it an advantage for him to abuse the ability: mainly to hide from the Ministry, the Order of the Phoenix, and Death Eaters after his falsified death.

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*'''[[Animagus]]:''' With"all the help he couldget"fromhisfriends, PeterbecameanAnimagusat the earlyage of fifteen, assuming the shape of a rat.Beingunregistered made itanadvantageforhimtoabusetheability,mainlytohidefromtheMinistry, OrderofthePhoenix,andDeathEatersafterhisfalsifieddeath.

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*'''[[Dark Arts]]:''' Peterhad demonstrated numerous times that he was actually an adept in the Dark Arts. In 1981, he wasabletocasta potent [[Blasting Curse]] that blew up a street and put a 40-foot crater in the ground, killingtwelveMugglessimultaneously;the explosion was so powerful that all the sewershundreds of feet deep were completely destroyed. Fourteen years later, he was able to effectively use the [[Killing Curse]] (one of the three [[Unforgivable Curses]] that requires a considerablelevel of magic) to execute [[Cedric Diggory]] - afeat made evenmoreimpressivethatheusedawandhedidnothaveallegiancewith.Guided by Voldemort's instructions, Peterwasalsoableto successfully brewpotionsclassifiedaspowerfulDarkmagic.

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*'''[[Blasting Curse]]:''' In1981, he usedanextremelypowerfulBlastingCursewhichblew up a street andputa40footcrater in the ground, killingtwelveMugglessimultaneously. Theexplosionhadsomuchpowerthatallthesewershundredsoffeetdeepwerecompletelydestroyed.

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*'''[[Duelling]]:''' Accordingto [[Minerva McGonagall|Professor McGonagall]], Peter had always been "hopeless at duelling" during his years at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]. However, he managedtodeceptivelyovertakeSiriusininitiativesduring their confrontation by blowing up the entire street behindhimbefore(theapparently more adept) Sirius could react properly, as well as make it look like Sirius was thecriminal in the same move. Later, he overpowered [[Bertha Jorkins]], a witch from the Ministry, and forced her to give up information to help LordVoldemortbereborn. Alongwith[[BartemiusCrouchJr.|BartyCrouchJr.]],hewasabletocaptureextremely powerful Auror [[Alastor Moody|Mad-Eye Moody]] and trap him in a magic trunk so thatBartycouldimpersonatehim.

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*'''[[Dueling]]:''' Peterdefeated[[BerthaJorkins]],awitch from the Ministry, andforcedhertogiveup information to help Lord Voldemort be reborn. Along with [[BartemiusCrouch Jr.|BartyCrouchJr.]], he was able to capture extremely powerful Auror [[Alastor Moody|Mad Eye Moody]] and traphim in a magic box so that Barty couldimpersonatehim.

*'''[[Charms]]''': Alongwith the otherthreeMarauders,Peter helped design the very complex [[Marauder'sMap]].Themapwasextremely"smart" and couldseethroughanything.

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*'''[[Potions]]''': Peterproduced the [[Rudimentarybodypotion]]and the [[regenerationpotion]] perVoldemort'sinstructions,allowinghis master to regain a temporary, and then permanent, form, respectively. He also helped brew the [[Polyjuice Potion]] for Barty Jr. todisguiseasMoody.

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*'''[[Potioneer]]''': Peterproducedthe [[Rudimentary body potion]] and the [[Regeneration Potion]] per Voldemort's instructions, allowinghismastertoregainatemporary,andthenpermanent,form,respectively. He also helped brew the [[PolyjuicePotion]] forBartyJr.todisguiseasMoody.

*'''[[Wandlore|Wand versatility]]:''' He was able to use the [[Killing Curse]], as well as non-verbally [[Incarcerous|conjure ropes]], [[Levitation Charm|levitate objects]], and [[Fire-Making Spell|light a fire]], each spell cast to their full effects with [[Tom Riddle's wand|his master's wand]], despite not having won the wand's allegiance.<ref name="GoF" />

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*'''[[Wandlore|Wand versatility]]:''' He was able to use the [[Killing Curse]], as well as non-verbally [[Incarcerous|conjure ropes]], [[Levitation Charm|levitate objects]], and [[Fire-Making Spell|light a fire]], each spell cast to their full effects with [[Tom Riddle's wand|his master's wand]], despite not having won the wand's allegiance.<ref name="GoF" />

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*'''[[Nonverbal spell|Non-verbal magic]]:''' As an adult, Peter was able to perform magic, such as conjuration, non-verbally. During his escape, he non-verbally Stunned both Ron and Crookshanks before fleeing. In [[1998]], Peter locked and unlocked the cell door at [[Malfoy Manor]] without saying anything. .<ref name="DH"/> As stated, he could light a fire around the Regeneration Potion's very large cauldron, levitate Harry Potter,and conjure ropes allwordlessly.

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*'''[[Nonverbal spell|Non-verbal magic]]:''' Peter was able to perform magic non-verbally. During his escape, he non-verbally Stunned both Ron and Crookshanks before fleeing. In [[1998]], Peter locked and unlocked the cell door at [[Malfoy Manor]] without saying anything.<ref name="DH"/> As stated, he could light a fire around the Regeneration Potion's very large cauldron, levitate Harry Potter,and conjure ropes mentally. Nonverbal magic requires a strong will, which Peter shows as proven by his aptitude, despite his cowardlypersonality.

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*'''Detective skills and intelligence:''' Peter's deductive skills were considerably high, as he deduced his master's first defeat after seeing the destruction of the house and the sight of the fallen wand, and was able to find Lord Voldemort's hidden location, something other more talented Death Eaters who made the effort to do, had failed. He was also very cunning as he was able to deceive the entire wizarding world of his demise, and fool a Ministry official on his way back to Voldemort.

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*'''Detective skills and intelligence:''' Peter's deductive skills were considerably high, as he deduced his master's first defeat after seeing the destruction of the house and the sight of the fallen wand, and was able to find Lord Voldemort's hidden location, something other more talented Death Eaters who made the effort to do, had failed. He was also very cunning as he was able to deceive the entire wizarding world of his demise while pinning all of his crimes to another wizard, and fool a Ministry official on his way back to Voldemort. His intelligence was actually better than what his school performances show, as he would hide Voldemort's wand instead of leaving it behind for the Ministry to inspect, strategically plotting to wait for the right moment to turn Harry in to prevent Death Eaters from claiming him as a traitor, and even deduce where Voldemort's fragmented soul was hiding.

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*'''[[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|Silver hand]]:''' After Peter severed his right hand to restore Voldemort to his physical body, he was given a new silver, glove-like hand that possessed strength far superior to that of his former hand, being strong enough to crush a twig into powder. This hand was later shown to be impervious to the [[Revulsion Jinx]]<ref name="DH" />, and possibly other spells. However, it was also designed to strangle its owner at any signs of treason or weakness, which is what led to Peter's demise.

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*'''[[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|Silver hand]]:''' After Peter severed his right hand to restore Voldemort to his physical body, he was given a new silver, glove-like hand that possessed strength far superior to that of his former hand, being strong enough to crush a twig into powder. This hand was later shown to be impervious to the [[Revulsion Jinx]],<ref name="DH" /> and possibly other spells. However, it was also designed to strangle its owner at any signs of treason or weakness, which is what led to Peter's demise.

==Relationships==

==Relationships==

===Parents===

===Parents===

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Peter Pettigrew's relationship with his parents is unknown, but after Pettigrew faked his own death, the [[Order of Merlin]] gave [[Peter Pettigrew's mother|Mrs. Pettigrew]] her son's finger -- the biggest part of Peter that was found. It is also unknown if his parents knew about his faked death.

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Peter Pettigrew's relationship with his parents is unknown, but after Pettigrew faked his own death, the [[Order of Merlin]] gave [[Peter Pettigrew's mother|Mrs. Pettigrew]] her son's finger — the biggest part of Peter that was found. It is also unknown if his parents knew about his faked death.

===The Marauders===

===The Marauders===

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{{Dialogue a-b-a-c|Harry|You betrayed my parents. You're the reason they're dead!|Lupin|No, Harry. Someone did betray your parents but it was somebody who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead.|Who was it then?|Sirius|Peter Pettigrew! And he's in this room, right now! Come out, come out Peter! Come out, come out and play!|Lupin and Black reveal the truth about Pettigrew.|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)}}

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{{Dialogue a-b-a-c|Harry|You betrayed my parents. You're the reason they're dead!|Lupin|No, Harry. Someone did betray your parents but it was somebody who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead.|Who was it then?|Sirius|Peter Pettigrew! And he's in this room, right now! Come out, come out, Peter! Come out, come out and play!|Lupin and Black reveal the truth about Pettigrew.|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)}}

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<p style="text-align: center">[[File:The_Marauders.png|thumb|The [[Marauders]]]] During his seven years at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry|Hogwarts]], Peter came to greatly admire [[James Potter I|James Potter]] and [[Sirius Black]] for their popularity and impressive magical ability, as well as James's renowned skills as <!-- DO NOT change to "Seeker". J. K. Rowling has stated that James was a Chaser, and comments from her trumps all other sources. --> Chaser <!-- DO NOT change to "Seeker". J. K. Rowling has stated that James was a Chaser, and comments from her trumps all other sources. --> for the [[Gryffindor Quidditch team]]. Though they accepted him as a friend and included him in their various mischief-making endeavours, it was clear he was considered more of a hanger-on than an equal. Nevertheless, they were close throughout their time at school. When they discovered that a member of their group, [[Remus Lupin]], was a [[werewolf]], they illegally became [[Animagus|Animagi]] so as to be able to accompany Remus while he was in his transformed state, rather than shun him as many would have. The four of them eventually came to be known as the "[[Marauders]]".</p>

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[[File:The_Marauders.png|thumb|left|230px|The [[Marauders]]]]

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During his seven years at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry|Hogwarts]], Peter came to greatly admire [[James Potter I|James Potter]] and [[Sirius Black]] for their popularity and magical ability, as well as James's renowned skills as <!-- DO NOT change to "Seeker". J. K. Rowling has stated that James was a Chaser, and comments from her trumps all other sources. --> Chaser <!-- DO NOT change to "Seeker". J. K. Rowling has stated that James was a Chaser, and comments from her trumps all other sources. --> for the [[Gryffindor Quidditch team]]. Though they accepted him as a friend and included him in their various mischief-making endeavours, it was clear he was considered more of a hanger-on than an equal. Nevertheless, they were close throughout their time at school. When they discovered that a member of their group, [[Remus Lupin]], was a [[werewolf]], they illegally became [[Animagus|Animagi]] so as to be able to accompany Remus while he was in his transformed state, rather than shun him as many would have. The four of them eventually came to be known as the "[[Marauders]]".

While James, Sirius and Remus considered Peter a true friend and would have willingly died for him, Peter proved that he lacked any similar conviction or sense of loyalty. When [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] first started gaining power, Peter immediately defected from the [[Order of the Phoenix]] and joined the [[Death Eaters]] out of fear for his own life. Peter betrayed [[James and Lily Potter]], who entrusted him to be their [[Secret-Keeper]] when they cast the [[Fidelius Charm]]. Peter later framed Sirius for the crime by pretending to confront him, then cutting off his own finger before taking his rat Animagus form; he killed twelve [[Muggle]]s in the process, and landed Sirius in [[Azkaban]] for twelve years.

While James, Sirius and Remus considered Peter a true friend and would have willingly died for him, Peter proved that he lacked any similar conviction or sense of loyalty. When [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] first started gaining power, Peter immediately defected from the [[Order of the Phoenix]] and joined the [[Death Eaters]] out of fear for his own life. Peter betrayed [[James and Lily Potter]], who entrusted him to be their [[Secret-Keeper]] when they cast the [[Fidelius Charm]]. Peter later framed Sirius for the crime by pretending to confront him, then cutting off his own finger before taking his rat Animagus form; he killed twelve [[Muggle]]s in the process, and landed Sirius in [[Azkaban]] for twelve years.

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Sirius had convinced James to use Pettigrew as Secret-Keeper in what he believed to be a brilliant gambit. This was proven to be a fatal mistake that Sirius would regret for the rest of his life. When Sirius learned the truth, he became obsessed with avenging the deaths of his friends. When Peter's treachery was revealed to James's son, [[Harry Potter]], both Sirius and Remus were absolutely intent on killing Peter, and were only stopped by Harry's insistence that Pettigrew was not worth their becoming murderers.

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Sirius had convinced James to use Pettigrew as Secret-Keeper in what he believed to be a brilliant gambit. This was proven to be a fatal mistake that Sirius would regret for the rest of his life. When Sirius learned the truth, he became obsessed with avenging the deaths of his friends. When Peter's treachery was revealed to James's son, [[Harry Potter]], both Sirius and Remus showed no mercy nor sympathy for Peter's lack of courage (if anything, both were disgusted by him), and were absolutely intent on killing Peter, and were only stopped by Harry's insistence that Pettigrew was not worth their becoming murderers.

As Remus had forgotten to take his [[Wolfsbane Potion]] in the wake of discovering Pettigrew's continued existence, he transformed under the full moon and was completely uncontrollable. Peter was able to escape, but for his freedom he owed Harry a life debt that would later cost him his own life.

As Remus had forgotten to take his [[Wolfsbane Potion]] in the wake of discovering Pettigrew's continued existence, he transformed under the full moon and was completely uncontrollable. Peter was able to escape, but for his freedom he owed Harry a life debt that would later cost him his own life.

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===Severus Snape===

===Severus Snape===

{{Dialogue a-b|Narcissa Malfoy|We... we are alone, aren't we?|Severus Snape|Well, Wormtail's here, but we aren't counting vermin, are we?|Narcissa Malfoy visits Snape at his house|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince}}

{{Dialogue a-b|Narcissa Malfoy|We... we are alone, aren't we?|Severus Snape|Well, Wormtail's here, but we aren't counting vermin, are we?|Narcissa Malfoy visits Snape at his house|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince}}

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[[File:Severus Snape.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Severus Snape]]

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While they were students at Hogwarts, Pettigrew, along with [[JamesPotter I|James Potter]] and [[Sirius Black]], enjoyed tormenting [[Severus Snape]]. Pettigrew, who probably would not have fared well duelling with a wizard as skilled and powerful as Snape, only got away with doing so because he had more talented friends backing him up. For this reason, Snape possibly viewed Pettigrew with even more scorn than the other three because of his pitiful ineptitude. Or perhaps his intense dislike of Pettigrew was due to the former betraying Lily, the woman he loved, to Voldemort. It is possible that Snape regarded Pettigrew as being too negligible of a person to be worthy of hating. When the Dark Lord later assigned Pettigrew to work as his assistant, Snape took to treating him like a butler, forcing him to clean his house and serve food to his guests.

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[[File:SeverusSnape.jpg|thumb|140px|Severus Snape]]

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While they were students at Hogwarts, Pettigrew, along with [[James Potter I|James Potter]] and [[Sirius Black]], enjoyed tormenting [[Severus Snape]]. Pettigrew, who probably would not have fared well duelling with a wizard as skilled and powerful as Snape, only got away with doing so because he had more talented friends backing him up. For this reason, Snape possibly viewed Pettigrew with even more scorn than the other three because of his pitiful ineptitude. Or perhaps his intense dislike of Pettigrew was due to the former betraying Lily, the woman he loved, to Voldemort. It is possible that Snape regarded Pettigrew as being too negligible of a person to be worthy of hating, as he showed very little care for Pettigrew during their time in Spinner's End.

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In any case, when the Dark Lord later assigned Pettigrew to work as his assistant, Snape took to treating him like a butler, forcing him to clean his house and serve food to his guests, while refusing to let him in on their meetings. Pettigrew found little courage to argue or request the Dark Lord for reassignment, and seemingly had to obey out of fear of Snape, as he flinched as though Snape threw something at him when ordered to serve Bellatrix and Narcissa [[Elf-made wine|wine]]. With the feeble protests Pettigrew made proved his ineptitude and cowardice, Snape took every opportunity to mock him for it, while showing his "assistant" no respect whatsoever.

Peter first met [[Lily Evans]] during the [[Sorting ceremony]] at Hogwarts, during which they were both Sorted into [[Gryffindor]] house. Peter regularly took part in bullying her then-best friend [[Severus Snape]], and as such, he did not make any better an impression on her than James or Sirius did. After Lily ended her friendship with Snape, she eventually married [[James Potter I|James Potter]]. She seemed to be much closer to James's circle of friends by that time, especially when they all joined the [[Order of the Phoenix]]. She even affectionately referred to Peter as "Wormy," from his nickname "Wormtail," and noted that he "seemed down" at one point. She would not have known that it was because he was enlisted in the Death Eaters and playing spy.

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[[File:Lily_Potter_fullcoloured.jpg|thumb|left|155px|[[Lily Evans]].]]Peter first met [[Lily Evans]] during the [[Sorting ceremony]] at Hogwarts, during which they were both Sorted into [[Gryffindor]] house. Peter regularly took part in bullying her then-best friend [[Severus Snape]], and as such, he did not make any better an impression on her than James or Sirius did. After Lily ended her friendship with Snape, she eventually married [[James Potter I|James Potter]].

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She seemed to be much closer to James's circle of friends by that time, especially when they all joined the [[Order of the Phoenix]]. She even affectionately referred to Peter as "Wormy," from his nickname "Wormtail," and noted that he "seemed down" on the week before [[Harry Potter's first birthday]], as she tells in a [[Lily Evans's letter to Sirius Black|letter]] to [[Sirius Black]]. She would not have known that it was because he was enlisted in the Death Eaters and playing spy. Peter, out of fear of his own life, and what Sirius described as "finest moment of [his] miserable life", betrayed Lily's location to Voldemort without a moment of hesitation.

===Harry Potter===

===Harry Potter===

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{{Quote|James wouldn't have wanted me killed. Your dad - he would have spared me, he would have shown me mercy!|Peter trying to convince Harry to stop Sirius and Remus from killing him|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)}}

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{{Quote|James wouldn't have wanted me killed. Your dad — he would have spared me, he would have shown me mercy!|Peter trying to convince Harry to stop Sirius and Remus from killing him|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)}}

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[[File:HarryPOA.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Harry Potter]]

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[[Harry Potter]] initially believed Peter Pettigrew had been courageous for challenging the alleged traitor, [[Sirius Black]], despite appearing so comparatively timid and weak; Harry even compared him to his own friend [[Neville Longbottom]]. Though he was disgusted by Pettigrew's disloyalty and cowardice when he learned the truth, he could not stand to see his father's two best friends become murderers, and requested that they leave Pettigrew to face the [[Dementor]]s instead. Pettigrew managed to escape, leaving Harry unable to prove his godfather, [[Sirius Black]]'s innocence, however, because of Harry's intervention to save Pettigrew, the latter owed Harry a life debt.

[[File:4eabd9f13f90134fc24b587a4e7908fc.jpg|thumb|150px|[[HarryPotter]]]][[HarryPotter]] initially believed Peter Pettigrew hadbeencourageousfor challenging the alleged traitor, [[SiriusBlack]], despiteappearingso comparatively timid and weak; Harry even compared him to his own friend [[NevilleLongbottom]]. As Scabbers, Harry felt that Hermione should at least feel responsible when [[Crookshanks]] allegedly ate him, when in truth Peter faked his death a second time. Though he was disgusted by Pettigrew's disloyalty and cowardicewhenhe learned the truth, he could not stand to see his father's two best friends become murderers, and requested that they leave Pettigrew to facethe[[Dementor]]sinstead.Pettigrew managed to escape, leaving Harry unable to prove his godfather, [[SiriusBlack]]'sinnocence,however,becauseof Harry's intervention to savePettigrew, the latter owed Harry a life debt. Harry, on the other hand, felt regretful for sparing Pettigrew's life and did not want such abond.

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Originally Peter spared no thought on betraying Harry and his family to Voldemort, and even prepared to turn Harry in the moment he catches wind of the Death Eaters regaining momentum as a welcome-back present. However, perhaps due to this debt, Pettigrew consciously felt gratitude towards the boy, as he suggested that Voldemort should use another wizard's [[blood]] for the [[Regeneration potion|rebirth ceremony]], and hastily implying that Harry meant nothing to him when Voldemort raised the issue, an act that seems to be denial rather than honesty. Of course, Voldemort also saw this as an attempt for Wormtail to desert him once more, out of sheer regret of ever returning.

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A year later, Pettigrew met Harry again in the [[Little Hangleton graveyard]], where Pettigrew bound Harry to [[Tom Riddle Sr.]]'s grave and then cut Harry's arm to use his blood in a [[Regeneration Potion|potion]] that would restore Voldemort to his former glory. Throughout this meeting, Wormtail struck Harry for struggling, but did not make eye contact when returning Harry [[Harry Potter's wand|his wand]], per Voldemort's orders.

Pettigrew's life debt was finally repaid during the [[Skirmish at Malfoy Manor]], when his momentary hesitation to strangle Harry was interpreted as a sign of weakness by the [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver hand]] he received from Voldemort, and it turned on him. Though both Harry and [[Ronald Weasley|Ron Weasley]] attempted to stop it, Peter Pettigrew was strangled to death by his own hand.

Pettigrew's life debt was finally repaid during the [[Skirmish at Malfoy Manor]], when his momentary hesitation to strangle Harry was interpreted as a sign of weakness by the [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver hand]] he received from Voldemort, and it turned on him. Though both Harry and [[Ronald Weasley|Ron Weasley]] attempted to stop it, Peter Pettigrew was strangled to death by his own hand.

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===Ron Weasley===

===Ron Weasley===

{{Quote|I let you sleep in my ''bed''!|Ron showing his disgust for learning of the true identity of his rat.|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

{{Quote|I let you sleep in my ''bed''!|Ron showing his disgust for learning of the true identity of his rat.|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}

After framing [[Sirius Black]] for the crimes of betraying [[James and Lily Potter]] and murdering twelve Muggles, Pettigrew went into hiding in his [[Animagus]] form, and disguised himself as a rat named Scabbers. He came into the possession of [[Percy Weasley]], who eventually handed him down to his younger brother [[Ronald Weasley|Ron]].

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Despite Ron's frequent complaints of Scabbers having been a rather boring, useless pet, he felt a strong sense of ownership and was at times very fond of him - especially when Scabbers bit [[Gregory Goyle]]'s knuckle. However,Hermione'scatimmediatelyrecognizedthe rat for who he was and constantly attempted to catch him. When Scabbers faked his own death by leaving bloodstains on the sheets, Ron assumed that he was eaten by the cat. Ron and Hermione got into such a row over the incident that they almost ended their friendship.

Despite Ron's frequent complaints of Scabbers having been a rather boring, useless pet, he felt a strong sense of ownership and was at times very fond of him&#x2014;especially when Scabbers bit [[Gregory Goyle]]'s knuckle. However, Hermione's cat immediately recognised the rat for who he was and constantly attempted to catch him. When Scabbers faked his own death by leaving bloodstains on the sheets, Ron assumed that he was eaten by the cat. Ron and Hermione got into such a row over the incident that they almost ended their friendship.

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Ron later discovered him in [[Rubeus Hagrid's cabin]] and was overjoyed, though Scabbers continued to attempt to flee, struggling against Ron's efforts to pocket him and even biting him on the finger. When Sirius finally managed to corner the rat, Ron absolutely refused to believe what Sirius and [[Remus Lupin]] were telling him until he saw with his own eyes that Scabbers was the traitorous Peter Pettigrew. Ron took this as a personal insult and was too disgusted to respond to Pettigrew's pleas, and even savagely volunteered to act as an anchor alongside Lupin to prevent Pettigrew from escaping.

Four years later, when Pettigrew was being strangled by his own [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver hand]], Ron tried to save him with a [[Revulsion Jinx]], and failed. When Pettigrew died, Ron was somewhat shocked, but was more preoccupied by the fact that Hermione was being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange.

Four years later, when Pettigrew was being strangled by his own [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver hand]], Ron tried to save him with a [[Revulsion Jinx]], and failed. When Pettigrew died, Ron was somewhat shocked, but was more preoccupied by the fact that Hermione was being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange.

[[Hermione Granger]] first met Pettigrew in disguise as Ron's pet rat named "Scabbers" in [[1991]]. In [[1993]], she and Ron nearly ended their relationship, as Ron was convinced that [[Crookshanks]], her cat, had eaten Scabbers. However, they all learned the truth later, when Peter Pettigrew was exposed by [[Sirius Black]] and [[Remus Lupin]];

[[Hermione Granger]] first met Pettigrew in disguise as Ron's pet rat named "Scabbers" in [[1991]]. In [[1993]], she and Ron nearly ended their relationship, as Ron was convinced that [[Crookshanks]], her cat, had eaten Scabbers. However, they all learned the truth later, when Peter Pettigrew was exposed by [[Sirius Black]] and [[Remus Lupin]];

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{{Dialogue a-b|Pettigrew|I returned.|Voldemort|Out of fear. Not loyalty.|Peter Pettigrew after having escaped a second time from Sirius Black|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)}}

{{Dialogue a-b|Pettigrew|I returned.|Voldemort|Out of fear. Not loyalty.|Peter Pettigrew after having escaped a second time from Sirius Black|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)}}

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When [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] first began gaining power during the [[First Wizarding War]], Pettigrew switched sides and began secretly serving the Death Eaters. Though he gave valuable information, such as the whereabouts of Lily and James Potter, Voldemort still treatedhimwith disdain for his extreme cowardice.

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[[File:Tumblr_mt9jqd4BCi1qa3emao2_r1_250.gif|thumb|left|180px|[[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]]]]When [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] first began gaining power during the [[First Wizarding War]], Pettigrew switched sides and began secretly serving the Death Eaters. Though he gave valuable information, such as the whereabouts of Lily and James Potter, and was granted the Dark Mark that only the inner circle had, Voldemort still showedlittlerespect for Pettigrew's cowardice and disloyalty.

When Voldemort met his first downfall, Pettigrew did not try to find his master, but instead hid in his Animagus form as [[Ronald Weasley]]'s pet rat, "Scabbers." When [[Sirius Black]] escaped from [[Azkaban]] and Pettigrew's duplicity was uncovered, he had no choice but to flee and seek Voldemort's protection from Black. Though he regretted this decision, and attempted several times to escape, he ultimately engineered Voldemort's return to physical form, and Voldemort rewarded Pettigrew with a new [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver hand]] for having sacrificed his own. Voldemort also forced [[Garrick Ollivander]] to create a [[Peter Pettigrew's wand|new wand]] for Pettigrew, a favour which the once highly revered [[Lucius Malfoy]] did not even receive after [[Lucius Malfoy's wand|his wand]] was destroyed.

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When Voldemort met his first downfall, Pettigrew did not try to find his master, but instead hid in his Animagus form as [[Ronald Weasley]]'s pet rat, "Scabbers". Pettigrew turned his back on Voldemort for being too much of a wreck to protect him, and did not attempt to murder Harry Potter due to that. When [[Sirius Black]] escaped from [[Azkaban]] and Pettigrew's duplicity was uncovered, he had no choice but to flee and seek Voldemort's protection from Black. Though he regretted this decision, and attempted several times to escape, while flinching and shuddering at any contact with Voldemort's rudimentary body, he ultimately engineered Voldemort's return to physical form, and Voldemort rewarded Pettigrew with a new [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver hand]] for having sacrificed his own. Voldemort also forced [[Garrick Ollivander]] to create a [[Peter Pettigrew's wand|new wand]] for Pettigrew, a favour which the once highly revered [[Lucius Malfoy]] did not even receive after [[Lucius Malfoy's wand|his wand]] was destroyed.

However, Voldemort neither trusted nor respected Pettigrew. He knew that Pettigrew felt no true allegiance to him and kept him only because he was sometimes capable at providing useful information (often times without Pettigrew being the wiser). He also made it clear just how little he trusted Pettigrew, when he designed the silver hand he made to turn on the man for any attempts at treachery; it did just that when it strangled Pettigrew for hesitating to kill Harry Potter in [[1998]].

However, Voldemort neither trusted nor respected Pettigrew. He knew that Pettigrew felt no true allegiance to him and kept him only because he was sometimes capable at providing useful information (often times without Pettigrew being the wiser). He also made it clear just how little he trusted Pettigrew, when he designed the silver hand he made to turn on the man for any attempts at treachery; it did just that when it strangled Pettigrew for hesitating to kill Harry Potter in [[1998]].

===Death Eaters===

===Death Eaters===

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[[File:Death_eaters_worldcup.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Death Eaters]]

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[[File:Death_eaters_worldcup.jpg|thumb|220px|The Death Eaters.]]

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The Death Eaters resented Pettigrew, because it was based on his information that Voldemort met his first downfall at [[Godric's Hollow]]. The ones who were imprisoned at Azkaban screamed in their sleep that Pettigrew was a traitor, and according to [[Sirius Black]], if any of the Death Eaters who had evaded imprisonment had gotten wind that Pettigrew was still alive, they would have tried to kill him. It was for this reason, as much as his fear of retribution from the [[Order of the Phoenix]] when Black revealed that Pettigrew had been the Potters' Secret Keeper, that he disguised himself as "Scabbers" for twelve years after framing Black for his crimes. To prevent them from killing him when he would return to Voldemort, Pettigrew had originally planned to bring in Harry Potter to them as a welcome back present to his lord, in order to prevent anyone from saying that he betrayed Lord Voldemort.

The Death Eaters resented Pettigrew, because it was based on his information that Voldemort met his first downfall at [[Godric's Hollow]]. The ones who were imprisoned at Azkaban screamed in their sleep that Pettigrew was a traitor, and according to [[Sirius Black]], if any of the Death Eaters who had evaded imprisonment had gotten wind that Pettigrew was still alive, they would have tried to kill him. It was for this reason, as much as his fear of retribution from the [[Order of the Phoenix]] when Black revealed that Pettigrew had been the Potters' Secret Keeper, that he disguised himself as "Scabbers" for twelve years after framing Black for his crimes. To prevent them from killing him when he would return to Voldemort, Pettigrew had originally planned to bring in Harry Potter to them as a welcome back present to his lord, in order to prevent anyone from saying that he betrayed Lord Voldemort.

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When Pettigrew returned to the service of the Dark Lord, he was assigned to serve his colleagues, such as [[Severus Snape]] and the [[Malfoy family]], as a lowly household servant. Both of them treated him with disdain, much as Voldemort himself did, and insultingly referred to him as "Wormtail." It can also be noted that while he was present at the Death Eaters' meeting at Malfoy Manor, he did not sit at the table amongst them.

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When Pettigrew returned to the service of the Dark Lord, he was assigned to serve his colleagues, such as [[Severus Snape]] and the [[Malfoy family]], as a lowly household servant. Both of them treated him with disdain, much as Voldemort himself did, and insultingly referred to him as "Wormtail." It can also be noted that while he was present at the Death Eaters' meeting at Malfoy Manor, he did not sit at the table amongst them, since Voldemort assigned him to deal with a [[Garrick Ollivander|prisoner]] in the dungeons.

Pettigrew appeared to respect the Death Eater [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] and her sister [[Narcissa Malfoy]], as he seemed very happy to see them at Snape's house in [[1996]], although he might simply have been attempting to flatter them or win their sympathy.

Pettigrew appeared to respect the Death Eater [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] and her sister [[Narcissa Malfoy]], as he seemed very happy to see them at Snape's house in [[1996]], although he might simply have been attempting to flatter them or win their sympathy.

[[Albus Dumbledore]]'s relationship with Peter when the latter attended Hogwarts is unknown. They might have shared some degree of friendship, as Pettigrew joined Dumbledore's [[Order of the Phoenix]] during the [[First Wizarding War]]. After Pettigrew's betrayal, Dumbledore believed, along with the rest of the Wizarding community, that [[Sirius Black]] had been the guilty party, and that Sirius had killed Peter, along with twelve [[Muggle]]s, after being confronted about his crime. However, he learned the truth in [[1994]], as well as the fact that [[Harry Potter]] had saved Pettigrew's life before he escaped capture; though Harry was distressed about being unable to prove Sirius's innocence, Dumbledore had the foresight to appreciate the significance of the [[Life debt]] Pettigrew now owed. Indeed, it was in remembering his life debt that Pettigrew hesitated to kill Harry during the [[Skirmish at Malfoy Manor]], in [[1998]], which resulted in Pettigrew being strangled to death by his own [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver hand]].

[[Albus Dumbledore]]'s relationship with Peter when the latter attended Hogwarts is unknown. They might have shared some degree of friendship, as Pettigrew joined Dumbledore's [[Order of the Phoenix]] during the [[First Wizarding War]]. After Pettigrew's betrayal, Dumbledore believed, along with the rest of the Wizarding community, that [[Sirius Black]] had been the guilty party, and that Sirius had killed Peter, along with twelve [[Muggle]]s, after being confronted about his crime. However, he learned the truth in [[1994]], as well as the fact that [[Harry Potter]] had saved Pettigrew's life before he escaped capture; though Harry was distressed about being unable to prove Sirius's innocence, Dumbledore had the foresight to appreciate the significance of the [[Life debt]] Pettigrew now owed. Indeed, it was in remembering his life debt that Pettigrew hesitated to kill Harry during the [[Skirmish at Malfoy Manor]], in [[1998]], which resulted in Pettigrew being strangled to death by his own [[Peter Pettigrew's silver hand|silver hand]].

===Minerva McGonagall===

===Minerva McGonagall===

{{Quote|He was a little lump of a boy, always trailing after Sirius Black.|McGonagall remembers Pettigrew from his days at Hogwarts.|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)}}

{{Quote|He was a little lump of a boy, always trailing after Sirius Black.|McGonagall remembers Pettigrew from his days at Hogwarts.|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)}}

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[[File:MinervaMcGonagall.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Minerva McGonagall]], his [[Head of House]].]]

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[[File:MinervaMcGonagall.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Minerva McGonagall]], his [[Head of House]].]]

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[[Minerva McGonagall]] was Pettigrew's [[Transfiguration (class)|Transfiguration]] professor, as well as his Head of [[Gryffindor|House]]. McGonagall thought that Pettigrew "hero-worshipped" James Potter and Sirius Black, that he was a "stupid" and "foolish" boy, and that she was somewhat harsh with him during their time together as student and teacher. However, McGonagall spoke sadly of Pettigrew's death, and for his "bravery" in standing up to Sirius Black, who was comparatively far stronger than him and believed to be a [[Dark Wizard]], she seemed to regret how she had treated him decades ago. They were comrades in the [[Order of the Phoenix]] during the [[First Wizarding War]], which further fuelled her sympathy towards him, as she was unaware that he had been a spy.

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[[Minerva McGonagall]] was Pettigrew's [[Transfiguration (class)|Transfiguration]] professor, as well as his Head of [[Gryffindor|House]]. McGonagall thought that Pettigrew "hero-worshipped" James Potter and Sirius Black, that he was a "stupid" and "foolish" boy, and that she was somewhat harsh with him during their time together as student and teacher. However, McGonagall spoke sadly of Pettigrew's death, and for his "bravery" in standing up to Sirius Black, who was comparatively far stronger than him and believed to be a [[Dark Wizard]], she seemed to regret how she had treated him decades ago. They were comrades in the [[Order of the Phoenix]] during the [[First Wizarding War]], which further fuelled her sympathy towards him, as she was unaware that he had been a double agent.

It is unknown how she reacted when she learned that Pettigrew was alive, and that it had been he, not Sirius Black, who betrayed [[James and Lily Potter]], though there's little doubt she would have been as outraged and disgusted by his cowardice and disloyalty as the rest of the Order.

It is unknown how she reacted when she learned that Pettigrew was alive, and that it had been he, not Sirius Black, who betrayed [[James and Lily Potter]], though there's little doubt she would have been as outraged and disgusted by his cowardice and disloyalty as the rest of the Order.

*In the Bible, Peter is a name of one of Christ's apostles who, on the morning of the crucifixion, denied Christ, although he later repented. Also, the name "Pettigrew" could be derived from the French word "petit" ("small") and the English word "grew," hence "grew small." Also "grew" looks like the French word "gros," which means "fat." ("Pettigrew" pronounced in French sounds like "petit gros," in English: "small fat.") The name "Pettigrew" could also be a reference to his time as Ron's rat, being the pet that Ron grew. "Petti" could also be a corrupted form of 'petty' meaning "of little importance" or "trivial", showing his lack of talent and - had he not befriended James, Sirius or Remus - easily overlooked.

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*In the Bible, Peter is a name of one of Christ's apostles who, on the morning of the crucifixion, denied Christ, although he later repented. Also, the name "Pettigrew" could be derived from the French word "petit" ("small") and the English word "grew," hence "grew small." Also "grew" looks like the French word "gros," which means "fat." ("Pettigrew" pronounced in French sounds like "petit gros," in English: "small fat.") The name "Pettigrew" could also be a reference to his time as Ron's rat, being the pet that Ron grew. "Petti" could also be a corrupted form of 'petty' meaning "of little importance" or "trivial", showing his lack of talent and - had he not befriended James, Sirius or Remus - easily overlooked.

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*Scabbers may derive from the word "scab." A scab is the crusty covering blood forms over a wound as it clots. A scab is also a worker hired to replace others who are on strike. Scab is also slang for a horrible person, which could reflect Peter Pettigrew's true nature.

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*Scabbers may derive from the word "scab." A scab is the crusty covering blood forms over a wound as it clots. A scab is also a worker hired to replace others who are on strike. Scab is also slang for a horrible person, which could reflect Peter Pettigrew's true nature.

* Peter Pettigrew is portrayed by [[Great Britain|British]] actor [[Timothy Spall]] in the [[Harry Potter films|filmadaptations]]of''[[HarryPotter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)|Goblet of Fire]]'',''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|Order of the Phoenix]]'', ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|Half-Blood Prince]]'' and ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1|Deathly Hallows: Part 1]]''. He is portrayed by [[Charles Hughes]] as a teenager in the [[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|fifth film]]. He appears also in the first three films, as Scabbers the rat, portrayed by [[Dex]]. Since he appears also in the [[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2|eighth film]] (in a flashback from the third film), he is one of the fourteen to appear in every film adaptation.

*PeterPettigrew is portrayed by [[Great Britain|British]] actor [[Timothy Spall]] in the [[Harry Potter films|film adaptations]] of ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)|Goblet of Fire]]'', ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|Order of the Phoenix]]'', ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|Half-Blood Prince]]'' and ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1|Deathly Hallows: Part 1]]''.He is portrayedby[[CharlesHughes]]asateenagerinthe[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|fifth film]]. He appears also in the first three films, as Scabbers the rat, portrayed by [[Dex]]. Since he appears also in the [[Harry Potter and theDeathlyHallows:Part2|eighthfilm]](inaflashbackfrom the third film), he is one of the fourteen to appear in every filmadaptation.

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* In ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1'',Pettigrew is theonlyDeathEaterpresentatMalfoyManorwhen Harry, Ron and HermionearecapturedtonotwitnessGriphook'stortureorDobby'srescue.

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*Pettigrew hasnolines in ''Harry Potter and the Half-BloodPrince'', and appears for lessthantenseconds.

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* In the [[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1|film adaptations]] of ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'', Pettigrew isnotkilled by his hand. He is stunned (or possibly killed) by [[Dobby]] in the [[Skirmish at Malfoy Manor]] in ''Harry Potter and the DeathlyHallows: Part 1'' and is not mentioned in ''Part 2'' aside from the flashbacks from the earlier films. His absence suggests that either Dobby's attack killed him or Voldemort did so upon arrival at Malfoy Manor, or at the beginning of Part 2 after the Gringotts scene. This is apparently because the manner of his death was deemed to be too disturbing for aPG-13ratedfilm.

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*In ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1'', Pettigrew is the only Death Eater present at Malfoy Manor when Harry, Ron and Hermione are captured to not witness Griphook's torture or Dobby'srescue.

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*In the films, Peter is shown to beleft-handed.

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*In the [[Harry Potter and the DeathlyHallows:Part1|filmadaptations]] of ''[[Harry Potter and the DeathlyHallows]]'', Pettigrewisnotkilledbyhishand.Heisstunned(orpossiblykilled)by [[Dobby]] in the [[SkirmishatMalfoy Manor]] in''HarryPotterandtheDeathlyHallows:Part1''andisnotmentionedin''Part2''aside from the flashbacks fromthe earlier films. Hisabsencesuggests that either Dobby's attackkilledhimorVoldemortdidsouponarrivalatMalfoyManor,oratthebeginning of Part2aftertheGringottsscene.

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*In ''[[Harry Potter and the PrisonerofAzkaban]]'', Sirius Black and Remus Lupin said that Wormtail "needed all the help that he could get" while describing how he, Sirius, and James became Animagi. However, he was able to perform the [[KillingCurse|AvadaKedavra]] curse in ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet ofFire]]'', whichthe[[BartemiusCrouchJr.|fakeMoody]]saidtakesapowerfulbitofmagic.In addition, the [[Blasting Curse|curse]] he used to kill the [[PeterPettigrew'svictims|Muggles]] (whichSiriuswasframedfor)causedanexplosionthat"madeacratersodeepthatitcracked the sewerbelow."Itispossible that Pettigrew's magicalaptitudeimprovedasheaged,sincethelattertwoexamplesweredonewhenPettigrewwas an adult. It is more likely, however, that because of hiscowardicehetriggered powerful magic out ofsheerdesperation.

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*In the films, Peter is showntobeleft-handed.

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*In ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Harry notices that Peter is missing an index finger, while in the [[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|film adaptation]] he is missing a ring finger. Despite this, he still cuts off his right hand in the [[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)|film adaptation]] of ''[[Harry Potter and theGobletofFire]]''.

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*In''[[HarryPotterandthePrisonerofAzkaban]]'',SiriusBlackandRemusLupinsaidthatWormtail"neededallthehelp that hecouldget"whiledescribinghowhe,Sirius, and JamesbecameAnimagi.However, he was abletoperform the [[Killing Curse|Avada Kedavra]] curse in ''[[Harry Potter and the GobletofFire]]'',whichthe[[BartemiusCrouchJr.|fakeMoody]]saidtakesapowerfulbitofmagic. In addition, the [[Blasting Curse|curse]] he used to kill the [[PeterPettigrew'svictims|Muggles]](whichSiriuswasframedfor)causedan explosion that "made a crater so deep that it cracked the sewer below." It is possiblethatPettigrew'smagicalaptitudeimprovedashe aged, since the lattertwoexamples were done when Pettigrew was an adult.

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* Hisfilmportrayalmakeshimappearmucholderthanhiscanonicalageofthirty-threeorthirty-fouryears.Itis possible that livingasarattookatollon his health and madehimappearolder than he really was (whichisarguably the case in the bookaswellsinceheisdescribedasbaldinginthenovels,unusualforthirty-three/thirtyfour). However, he looks the sameinthepictureoftheoriginalorder.Ofcourse, it is notuncommonforcharacterstolookolderin the films(Snape,Sirius)

* Wormtail is comparable to [[Wikipedia:GrímaWormtongue|GrímaWormtongue]]from [[Wikipedia:J. R. R. Tolkien|J.R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[Wikipedia:The Lord of the Rings|The Lord of theRings]]'';Wormtail's nickname is similar to Wormtongue's surname, andbothare referred to most often by these names by others. Both are also notable as groveling, cowardlyservantstoharsh, cruel andunforgivingmasters who treatthemwith disdain and abhorrence. Indeed, Wormtail served Lord Voldemort in much the same way Wormtongue served [[Wikipedia:Saruman|Saruman the White]]. Also, the deaths of both are changed/partiallyomittedin the film. Wormtongue was killed by Hobbits at the end of the book ''Return of the King'', whileheiskilled by Legolas at the beginning of the film in a scene only shown in theextendededition.

* Wormtail also shows a strange connection with the ''[http://redwall.wikia.com/wiki/Wormtail Redwall]'' character of the same name. Though Wormtail is a very minor character, he is a rat and is reported in the book to have lost a finger.

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*In ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Harry notices that Peter is missing an index finger, while in the [[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|film adaptation]] he is missing a ring finger. Despite this, he still cuts off his right hand in the [[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)|film adaptation]] of ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]''.

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*His film portrayal makes him appear much older than his canonical age of thirty-three or thirty-four years. It is possible that living as a rat took a toll on his health and made him appear older than he really was (which is arguably the case in the book as well since he is described as balding in the novels, unusual for thirty-three/thirty four). However, he looks the same in the picture of the original order.

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*Wormtail is comparable to [[Wikipedia:Gríma Wormtongue|Gríma Wormtongue]] from [[Wikipedia:J. R. R. Tolkien|J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[Wikipedia:The Lord of the Rings|The Lord of the Rings]]''; Wormtail';s nickname is similar to Wormtongue's surname, and both are referred to most often by these names by others. Both are also notable as groveling, cowardly servants to harsh, cruel and unforgiving masters who treat them with disdain and abhorrence. Indeed, Wormtail served Lord Voldemort in much the same way Wormtongue served [[Wikipedia:Saruman|Saruman the White]]. Also, the deaths of both are changed/partially omitted in the film. Wormtongue was killed by Hobbits at the end of the book ''Return of the King'', while he is killed by Legolas at the beginning of the film in a scene only shown in the extended edition.

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*Wormtail also shows a strange connection with the ''[http://redwall.wikia.com/wiki/Wormtail Redwall]'' character of the same name. Though Wormtail is a very minor character, he is a rat and is reported in the book to have lost a finger.

*It was predicted by many fans that Pettigrew would kill Remus Lupin with his silver hand, as Remus is a werewolf. However, J. K. Rowling subsequently mentioned in an interview that, contrary to what is seen in films, in her view werewolves are not affected by silver. However the Marauder that does die by the silver hand is not Moony, but Wormtail himself.

*It was predicted by many fans that Pettigrew would kill Remus Lupin with his silver hand, as Remus is a werewolf. However, J. K. Rowling subsequently mentioned in an interview that, contrary to what is seen in films, in her view werewolves are not affected by silver. However the Marauder that does die by the silver hand is not Moony, but Wormtail himself.

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*Many fans (and a prediction book) predicted that Wormtail would have some part to play in the destruction of Voldemort (because of his life debt), such as telling Harry how to destroy the Horcrux inside him without dying himself. This turned out to be false.

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*Many fans (and a prediction book) predicted that Wormtail would have some part to play in the destruction of Voldemort (because of his life debt), such as telling Harry how to destroy the Horcrux inside him without dying himself. This turned out to be false.

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*In ''Prisoner of Azkaban'', Dumbledore tells Harry that "there may well come a time when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life." However, it is notclear that this time ever comes. Pettigrew does display a merciful instinct toward Harry at Malfoy Manor, but if Harry had allowed Remus and Siriustokill him, thenPettigrewwouldnothavebeen able to strangle Harry in the first place, and Voldemort might not even have returned to power at all.

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*In ''Prisoner of Azkaban'', Dumbledore tells Harry that "there may well come a time when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life." This is confirmedin''[[Harry Potter and theDeathlyHallows]]'', wherehestrangleshimselfinsteadof Harry.

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*Wormtail appears in all seven Harry Potter books, although his appearance in ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'' is in the Pensieve rather than in person, and he only appears in his Animagus form in the first two books.

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*Wormtail appears in all seven Harry Potter books, although his appearance in ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'' is in the Pensieve rather than in person, and he only appears in his Animagus form in the first two books.

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*Wormtail is the only known Death Eater from Hogwarts that was not in [[Slytherin]] ([[Igor Karkaroff]] is believed to have attended [[Durmstrang Institute]]). Ironically he was in [[Gryffindor]], somewhat odd considering his cowardice. However, it may have been Pettigrew's decision to be put into Gryffindor, when it was the Sorting Hat&apos;s intention to put him in Slytherin, just as Harry did.

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*Wormtail is the only known Death Eater from Hogwarts that was not in [[Slytherin]] ([[Igor Karkaroff]] is believed to have attended [[Durmstrang Institute]]). Ironically he was in [[Gryffindor]], somewhat odd considering his cowardice. However, it may have been Pettigrew's decision to be put into Gryffindor, when it was the Sorting Hat's intention to put him in Slytherin, just as Harry did.

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*Wormtail's ambition, cunning, and extreme self-preservation are all traits that would have made him an excellent Slytherin. Wormtail, in fact, almost perfectly embodies the latter half of the quote by [[Phineas Nigellus Black]]; "''We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, when given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks.''" Assuming Black';s quote is taken at face value (and not just as one of his frequent snide attempts to assert Slytherins' superiority to Gryffindors), however, it seems that even Slytherins would have looked down on Wormtail for his abject cowardice; the fact that other Death Eaters tend to treat Wormtail like a barely-tolerated servant rather than a peer seems to confirm this. (Of course, Snape's barely-disguised contempt for him can also be attributed to the fact that it was Wormtail who betrayed Lily Evans to her death and/or Wormtail's childhood past as an eager sycophant to the boys who bullied the young Snape.)

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*Wormtail's ambition, cunning, and extreme self-preservation are all traits that would have made him an excellent Slytherin. Wormtail, in fact, almost perfectly embodies the latter half of the quote by [[Phineas Nigellus Black]]; "''We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, when given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks.''" Assuming Black's quote is taken at face value (and not just as one of his frequent snide attempts to assert Slytherins' superiority to Gryffindors), however, it seems that even Slytherins would have looked down on Wormtail for his abject cowardice; the fact that other Death Eaters tend to treat Wormtail like a barely-tolerated servant rather than a peer seems to confirm this. (Of course, Snape's barely-disguised contempt for him can also be attributed to the fact that it was Wormtail who betrayed Lily Evans to her death and/or Wormtail's childhood past as an eager sycophant to the boys who bullied the young Snape.)

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*In ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'', despite his being a Death Eater, he bites Gregory Goyle, the son of another Death Eater, on the knuckle during Harry, Ron, and Hermione's first formal meeting with [[Draco Malfoy]], [[Vincent Crabbe|Crabbe]], and Goyle. It is unlikely, however, that he would have recognised Goyle as that.

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*In ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'', despite his being a Death Eater, he bites Gregory Goyle, the son of another Death Eater, on the knuckle during Harry, Ron, and Hermione's first formal meeting with [[Draco Malfoy]], [[Vincent Crabbe|Crabbe]], and Goyle. It is unlikely, however, that he would have recognised Goyle as that.

* J.K.Rowling has said that no Death Eater except [[SeverusSnape]] couldconjurea [[Patronus]].However, she also said that members of the [[Orderof the Phoenix]] used their Patronuses to communicate. It is unknown if Peter could cast the spell. Given Pettigrew's extreme cowardice and lacklustre aptitude for magic, it is highly unlikely that he could master it. Although it should be noted that he managed to conjure a very effective killing curse that killed Cedric, so while not probable, it is not an impossible theory.

* Inanearlierdraftof''[[HarryPotterandthe Goblet of Fire]]'', Peter taught [[Defence Against the DarkArts]] andpossiblyimpersonated [[Alastor Moody]] instead of [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|BartyCrouchJr.]]ThiscouldmeanWormtailwould be the oneto suffer the Dementor'sKiss,althoughthiswouldbe less likely since it seems that the Dementor'sKiss is reservedforescapedAzkabanprisoners-which Peter was not.<ref>[http://www.hplex.info/about/sources/jkr.com/jkr-com-trans-jottings1.html HP Lexicon´s transcript of JKR´s notes]</ref>

* [[TimothySpall]]hasalso been in two other films with [[Severus Snape]] actor [[Alan Rickman]] that are not from the Harry Potter series.Theyboth were in ''[[Wikipedia:Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]'' and''[[Wikipedia:AliceinWonderland(2010film)|Alice in Wonderland]]''.Both filmsalsofeatured [[BellatrixLestrange]] actress [[HelenaBonhamCarter]] (whoalsoactedalongsideSpallin[[Wikipedia:TheKing'sSpeech|TheKing's Speech]]), whiletheformerfeatured[[GellertGrindelwald|YoungerGellertGrindelwald]]actor[[JamieCampbellBower]]andthelatterfeatured[[DoloresUmbridge]]and[[OlympeMaxime]]actresses [[ImeldaStaunton]]and[[FrancesdelaTour]].

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*[[TimothySpall]]has also been in two other films with [[Severus Snape]] actor [[Alan Rickman]] that are not from the Harry Potter series.Theyboth were in ''[[Wikipedia:Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film)|SweeneyTodd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]''and''[[Wikipedia:AliceinWonderland(2010film)|AliceinWonderland]]''.Bothfilmsalsofeatured[[BellatrixLestrange]]actress[[HelenaBonhamCarter]](whoalsoactedalongsideSpallin[[Wikipedia:TheKing'sSpeech|TheKing's Speech]]), while the formerfeatured[[GellertGrindelwald|YoungerGellertGrindelwald]]actor[[JamieCampbellBower]]andthelatterfeatured[[DoloresUmbridge]]and[[OlympeMaxime]] actresses [[Imelda Staunton]] and [[Frances de la Tour]].

*In the [[HarryPotterandthe Prisoner of Azkaban|third novel]],Pettigrew has been referred to by his name, "Peter" and "Pettigrew" by characters and the narration. However, subsequent novels refer him almost exclusively as "Wormtail", the only Marauder to have been called in suchfashion.J.K.Rowlinghasyettoexplainher reasons behind this.

*A plush version of Scabbers is available at [[The Wizarding World of Harry Potter]].

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*A plush version of Scabbers is available at [[The Wizarding World of Harry Potter]].

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*In ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'', [[Sirius Black]] was revealed to be eating [[rat]]s for nourishment during the 1994-1995 school year while in hiding. Sirius was also feeding [[Buckbeak]] rats during his stay at [[12 Grimmauld Place]]. Whether this had anything to do with Sirius's contempt for Pettigrew or was just a coincidence is unknown.

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*In ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'', [[Sirius Black]] was revealed to be eating [[rat]]s for nourishment during the 1994-1995 school year while in hiding. Sirius was also feeding [[Buckbeak]] rats during his stay at [[12 Grimmauld Place]]. Whether this had anything to do with Sirius's contempt for Pettigrew or was just a coincidence is unknown.

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*In a bonus level on ''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4]]'', Peter is shown to willingly give directions to the Potters' residence, whereas in the books and the film he is told as to give directions out of cowardice.

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*In a bonus level on ''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4]]'', Peter is shown to willingly give directions to the Potters' residence, whereas in the books and the film he is told as to give directions out of cowardice.

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*Peter is the only [[Marauders|Marauder]] who does not have any family connection to [[Ted Lupin]]. Teddy is the son of [[Remus Lupin]]. Teddy's godfather is [[Harry Potter]], the son of [[James Potter I|James Potter]]. Teddy's [[Nymphadora Tonks|mother]] was a daughter of a first cousin of [[Sirius Black]].

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*Peter is the only [[Marauders|Marauder]] who does not have any family connection to [[Ted Lupin]]. Teddy is the son of [[Remus Lupin]]. Teddy's godfather is [[Harry Potter]], the son of [[James Potter I|James Potter]]. Teddy's [[Nymphadora Tonks|mother]] was a daughter of a first cousin of [[Sirius Black]].

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*Inthefilmadaptationof''[[HarryPotterandtheChamberofSecrets(film)|HarryPotterandtheChamberofSecrets]]'',there is a Transfiguration class in which the students transform animals into water goblets. Ron tries to turnScabbersintoagoblet,however,as his wandisbroken,Scabbersturnsinto a goblet with fur and atail.

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* Despitehisweakcharacter,Pettigrewdoesseemtohaveahighpaintolerance,ashecutoffhisfinger in order to fakehisdeath,andyearslatersevered his entirehandfortherebirthofVoldemort.

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* In the film adaptation of ''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]'', there is a Transfiguration class in which the students transform animals into water goblets. Ron tries to turn Scabbers into a goblet, however, as his wand is broken, Scabbers turns into a goblet with fur and a tail.

===Author's comments===

===Author's comments===

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==Appearances==

==Appearances==

{{Imagecat|Images of Peter Pettigrew}}

{{Imagecat|Images of Peter Pettigrew}}

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[[File:Scabbers_Plush.png|thumb|215px|Peter in his [[Animagus]] form, in plush form from [[The Wizarding World of Harry Potter]].]]

Peter spent twelve years living in his Animagus form as the Weasley family's pet rat, Scabbers.[9] However, his identity was exposed by Sirius and Remus in 1994, and Pettigrew, with nowhere else to go, sought protection in returning to the service of Lord Voldemort, whom he found in the forests of Albania.

Pettigrew played a key role in Voldemort's rebirth and continued to serve him during the Second Wizarding War. In the spring of 1998, during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, in a moment of rare mercy, he hesitated to strangle Harry. When Harry reminded him of his life debt,[1] the silver hand Lord Voldemort had given Pettigrew interpreted his hesitation as weakness or disloyalty, and strangled him to death.

He, James and Sirius soon discovered Remus to be a werewolf, but they did not abandon him as many other wizards would have. Instead, they spent years learning how to become Animagi so that they could accompany Remus during his transformations. Pettigrew's Animagus form was a rat, from which his nickname "Wormtail" was derived. The four friends called themselves the Marauders and designed a map to navigate Hogwarts.[9] Pettigrew's rat form helped him slip through the Whomping Willow's branches and immobilise the tree in order to let himself and the Marauders enter the Shrieking Shack.

Professor Minerva McGonagall described Pettigrew as a "stupid and foolish boy" who hero-worshipped Sirius and James. She also stated that Pettigrew was a less than average student and was not capable of fighting with Sirius. She was somewhat harsh with him during their years of student-teacher relationship.

After graduating from Hogwarts, Pettigrew and his friends joined the Order of the Phoenix and fought against Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War. However, at some point, Pettigrew began working as a spy for Voldemort, having come to the belief that nothing could be gained from opposing him. Despite being considered a low-ranking soldier for his cowardice and general lack of usefulness, Pettigrew was given the Dark Mark and accepted into the ranks of the Death Eaters. After a prophecy was made regarding Harry Potter and the Dark Lord, James and Lily Potter took their son and went into hiding. In an attempt at misdirection, they were convinced to select Pettigrew as their Secret-Keeper by Sirius Black. On Hallowe'en night 1981, Pettigrew betrayed his friends, and Voldemort killed James and Lily, but was unable to do the same to their son when his Killing Curse rebounded, destroying his physical form.[9] Upon arriving at the wreckage of the Potters' house, Pettigrew deduced what had happened, took Voldemort's wand,[10] which was left among the rubble, fearing the Ministry would discover his treason through inspecting it, and hid it in an undisclosed location.

"Black was vicious, he didn't kill Pettigrew... He destroyed him! A finger; that all that was left—a finger! Nothing else."

Apart from James and Lily, Sirius Black was the only person who knew that Pettigrew had been their Secret-Keeper. When he realised what Pettigrew had done, due to the hiding place was empty with no signs of a struggle, he tracked him down hoping to avenge his friends. When he closed in on him, Pettigrew screamed that Sirius had betrayed the Potters for everyone to hear, and before Black could draw his wand, Pettigrew swiftly pulled out his from his back and then killed twelveMuggles by blowing up the street with a Blasting Curse, which created a crater large enough that the sewer pipes were showing. He then faked his own death by cutting off a finger and leaving it behind as he transformed into a rat and fled. Sirius was arrested for being a Death Eater, killing Pettigrew and the Muggles, and betraying the Potters, and was imprisoned in Azkaban without a trial. The surviving Muggles who witnessed the event had their memories erased and were given an excuse by the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee that a gas-leak occurred. Pettigrew was unjustly awarded the Order of Merlin for his confrontation with Sirius, which, along with the finger that they recovered, were "posthumously" given to his mother.[9] Even the other remaining Marauder, Remus, believed that Sirius betrayed them and killed Pettigrew. As the time passed, due to misconceptions, many believed that Black drew his wand and killed Pettigrew before the other had a chance of even drawing.

Fred: "Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was. And he's been off-colour for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly. One swallow – he probably didn't feel a thing."

Ron: "He bit Goyle for us once! Remember, Harry?"

Fred: "His finest hour. Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory ..."

Pettigrew went into hiding as Scabbers the rat, hoping to avoid Lord Voldemort's other supporters. As Voldemort had met his downfall on Peter's information, the Death Eaters suspected him of being a traitor. Looking for a wizarding family to take him in, he came into the possession of Percy Weasley and, later, Percy's brother Ron. It was clear Scabbers was an extraordinary rat; he was unusually old for a rat of his species, which had a life expectancy of three years, yet the Weasley family owned him for twelve. The reason he chose to be adopted by a wizard family was that he could keep track of the news in the wizarding world and could rejoin his master should he return to power. Positioned as he was, he could also bring Harry Potter as a welcome-back gift, so no Death Eater would dare claim him a traitor, but he never took action during his time as Ron's pet, because Voldemort was not strong enough to protect him. Despite once biting Gregory Goyle on the knuckle when he attempted to steal Harry and Ron's food, Ron generally thought that Scabbers was useless, since all Scabbers did was 'eat and sleep.' However, Ron did show his affections for Scabbers as he became quite upset when he thought Scabbers had been eaten by Hermione Granger's cat, Crookshanks.

In 1993, Sirius Blackescaped from Azkaban after seeing a picture of Pettigrew's rat form in a Daily Prophet article about the Weasley family's trip to Egypt.[9] Soon, Scabbers began to thin and bald. Ron thought this was due to fear of Hermione Granger's new cat Crookshanks, while Harry thought that Scabbers was finally reaching the end of his lifespan. In fact, he had been agitated by the news of Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban, afraid that he would find him and finally avenge the Potters. Eventually, Pettigrew faked his death yet again, by biting himself and leaving blood, leaving Ron to believe that Crookshanks had eaten the rat. This incident almost ruined Ron and Hermione's friendship until he was discovered hiding in a milk jug by Hermione, in Rubeus Hagrid's cabin.

That same year, Remus Lupin, who had been unaware of Pettigrew's duplicity and believed him to be dead, began teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. He began to suspect the truth when he saw Peter's name appear on the Marauder's Map, a charmed parchment created by him and his friends that came into Harry's possession through Fred and George Weasley. On 6 June, 1994, Scabbers was found hiding in Hagrid's hut. When Ron attempted to bring him back to the castle, Scabbers tried to escape, but was caught by Ron in the shadow of the Whomping Willow. There, Ron and Pettigrew were dragged to the Shrieking Shack by Sirius, followed immediately by Ron's friends Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. After heated discussion and the arrival of Professors Lupin and Snape, Pettigrew was unmasked by Sirius and Remus. He initially attempted to redirect the blame to Sirius, but when the truth came out and all the evidence was against him, he appealed for mercy to each person in the Shack (other than Snape, who had been unconscious since before Pettigrew's exposure). Each of them was disgusted by his cowardice, and the fact that he would dare ask them for mercy after deceiving them in so many ways infuriated them even more.

Remus and Sirius planned to kill their old friend, but Harry intervened after Pettigrew claimed that Harry's father never would have killed him. This, along with Harry's own belief that his father would not want his best friends to become killers, led him to be merciful. Although Harry had intended to hand Pettigrew over to the Dementors and use him to clear Sirius's name at last, this created a life debt between Harry and Pettigrew.

The plan was upset, though, when the full moon rose, and, as Remus had forgotten to take his Wolfsbane Potion after discovering Pettigrew's name on the Marauder's Map, he transformed into an uncontrollable werewolf. Sirius was forced to take on his Animagus form, that of a dog, to protect Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and Peter took advantage of the chaos, cursing Ron with Remus's wand, transforming into his rat form, and fleeing.

After his escape from capture at Hogwarts, Pettigrew had no choice but to rejoin his master, or Sirius and Remus would surely kill him. He went to retrieve Voldemort's wand, then travelled to Albania where he learned from the rats there of a place in the forest where the creatures feared to travel. They said a dark shadow (Voldemort) took over the animals and killed them.

On his way to his master, Peter ran into Bertha Jorkins, a Ministry witch who was on holiday in Albania, while he had stopped at an inn for food. Although she recognised him, Pettigrew was able to lure her into the forest and overpower her, before handing her over to the Dark Lord. Under torture, Jorkins gave them information that helped Voldemort make plans for an attack on Harry Potter, including information on the Triwizard Tournament and the location of a faithful Death Eater.

Peter and Lord Voldemort making the plot

Pettigrew milked venom from Voldemort's snake, Nagini, to strengthen him and provide him with a rudimentary body.[11] He carried Voldemort's weak, small body on the long journey back to Britain, where they took up temporary residence in the Riddle House outside of Little Hangleton. Voldemort called Peter by his Marauder name, "Wormtail."[11] Over time, Pettigrew tried unsuccessfully to convince Voldemort to use a wizard other than Harry Potter to rebuild his body, but Voldemort saw this as an attempt at desertion and claimed that Pettigrew was regretting ever returning to him in the first place. Voldemort noted how Pettigrew always flinched when he set eyes upon him and shuddered when touching him, which further enforced his belief that Pettigrew would have escaped if given the opportunity. When Voldemort ordered Wormtail to turn his chair around so he could face Frank Bryce, Wormtail whimpered before doing so.

For his next assignment, Pettigrew was sent with Barty Crouch Jr., the faithful Death Eater Jorkins had mentioned, to capture former Auror, Alastor Moody, who was set to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. While Crouch became Moody's double and set off in his place to Hogwarts, Pettigrew was assigned to watch over the Imperiused Barty Crouch Sr. Pettigrew neglected his duty, with the result that Crouch escaped and nearly sabotaged the plan. However, he was intercepted by Crouch Jr., and Pettigrew was subjected to punishment through the Cruciatus Curse.[11]

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son. Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed, you will revive your master. Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe."

Pettigrew played an important role in the rebirth of Lord Voldemort; when Harry Potter was delivered to the Little Hangleton graveyard per Voldemort's plot, Pettigrew killed Cedric Diggory on his orders and performed the ritual on Harry by slicing him with a large knife to restore Voldemort to a physical body, reluctantly sacrificing his hand. As a reward for his assistance, Voldemort replaced the hand with a silver one.[11]
It can be assumed that this event, along with Sirius Black's later death, made it apparent to the public that Pettigrew was alive and an active Death Eater.

After Pettigrew helped Voldemort return to to full power and attain a full body Pettigrew was sent to Severus Snape's house at Spinner's End to "assist" him, but Snape treated Pettigrew as a servant. Pettigrew was at the house when Narcissa Malfoy made the Unbreakable Vow with Snape, Bellatrix Lestrange, serving as Bonder. He did not, however, hear its contents as he had been ordered out of the room by Snape after he was caught eavesdropping at the door.[12]

—Harry, reminding Pettigrew of his life debt as Pettigrew attempts to strangle him[src]

In the summer of 1997, Pettigrew was staying at Malfoy Manor, the headquarters of the Death Eaters, and acted as jailer for those imprisoned in the cellar there. During the Meeting at Malfoy Manor, he was ordered by Voldemort to check on their prisoner, Ollivander the wandmaker, in the cellar and keep him quiet. Ollivander had also been forced to make a new wand for Pettigrew.

The noise they had heard was the house-elfDobbyapparating away with some of the prisoners in the cellar. When he opened the door, he was tackled by Ron and Harry, who had freed themselves of their restraints. Ron managed to wrestle Pettigrew's wand from him. He began to strangle Harry, but Harry reminded him that he owed him a life debt. When Pettigrew hesitated, his brief moment of mercy caused his silver hand to turn on him, strangling and killing him, despite Harry and Ron's best efforts to restrain it.[1]

Pettigrew was an extremely short man (no taller than Harry when he was thirteen or Hermione when she was fourteen years old) with grubby skin, small, watery eyes, and a pointed nose, all of which were lingering attributes of his rat form; he even spoke in a squeaky voice that is another lingering attribute of his animagus form. In his youth, his hair was mousy brown, but by his mid-thirties, it had thinned out, lost a lot of its colour and acquired a large bald patch.

The stress he endured also apparently caused him to appear middle-aged by his mid-thirties. He was also described as "fat" in his youth, but when forced to return to his human form in the Shrieking Shack, he looked as though he lost plenty of weight in a short time, mostly due to his stress of fearing Sirius' wrath. In 1981, he cut off the index finger of his right hand as part of a ploy to fake his own death, which is reflected in his "Scabbers" form, and, fourteen years later, he severed his entire right hand at the request of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort used magic to give Pettigrew a shining silver, glove-like replacement.

Peter Pettigrew was characterised by weakness. Despite having been Sorted into Gryffindor, he did not possess true bravery, possibly proving that the Hat saw potential in him rather than any actual inborn courage, potential that he never lived up to. The Sorting Hat may have mistaken his adoration of James and Sirius for steadfastness, or sensed in him a desire to surround himself with respected individuals and believed that he would make a compatible friend to a Gryffindor; Pettigrew clearly looked up to strong, courageous people and it is possible that the Sorting Hat put him there because he wished to absorb that quality. It is also likely that Pettigrew requested the Sorting Hat to place him in Gryffindor, with his friends, just as Harry Potter would later request not to be placed in Slytherin.

In his youth, he latched onto James Potter and Sirius Black, more talented and popular students, idolising them and living vicariously through their accomplishments, as well as joining them in bullying other students, such as Severus Snape, whom he would not have been likely to cross without James and Sirius to back him up. Due to the huge difference in terms of talent, bravery, and popularity, Peter was more of a hanger-on than an actual equal.

Pettigrew defected from the Order of the Phoenix and betrayed his closest friends to Lord Voldemort when his life was threatened, showing selfishness and disloyalty at the core of his being.[9] Even Voldemort viewed him with disdain; the only reason why he kept him alive was because he occasionally proved to be useful.[11] When Voldemort fell, Peter neither attempted to find him nor tried to kill Harry under Albus Dumbledore's watchful eye, until he was sure Voldemort would be revived to protect him. When cornered by Sirius and Remus, Peter shamelessly begged for mercy, despite having used and betrayed them.

"If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter."

Pettigrew was an opportunist, who allied with the side that seemed strongest and appeared to be winning — thus becoming "friends" with James and Sirius in school, and then leading him to become a Death Eater when the opportunity arose. He was loyal only to himself and acted in whatever his best interest was at the moment. He expected that he would be rewarded for leading Voldemort to Harry Potter, and later had the same expectations with Bertha Jorkins, assuming Voldemort would reward him for capturing a Ministry of Magic employee, despite not knowing the extent of her usefulness. He only returned to a broken down Voldemort simply because he had no other choice, as the other side was aiming to kill him, and would have gone to anywhere else if he had more options, seeing Voldemort at the time was too weakened to be the victorious side, along with the task of caring for his lord being tedious and unpleasant.

In spite of others claiming that Pettigrew was a "weak, talentless thing," he was at least cunning enough to escape Sirius after Voldemort's first defeat, frame his former friend for his crimes, and fake his own death while killing twelve people with a single curse, living for years in his Animagus form. He originally formulated his plan to return to the Dark Lord without being accused a traitor by his colleague Death Eaters: to turn Harry in as a welcome back present and be honoured above all others; though a well thought out plan and he waited patiently, it was upset when Pettigrew's form was exposed prematurely. He also managed to manipulate Bertha Jorkins to accompany him with ease, when he brought her to Lord Voldemort. When moments of desperation grasps onto Pettigrew, he was willing to amputate his own limbs to serve his purposes, such as his finger to fake his death, and his hand to revive Voldemort, the latter being promised with a worthy reward.

However, despite his treacherous and cowardly nature, Pettigrew did feel some regret for betraying his friends, and he hesitated to kill Harry Potter when reminded of his life debt, in 1998. Though he quickly tried to undo the moment of weakness, his "tiny merciful impulse" resulted in his being strangled to death by his own silver hand.[1] Pettigrew also suggested that Voldemort should find another enemy to use for his rebirth, though when Voldemort began to suspect that he cared about Harry, Pettigrew hastily claimed that Harry meant nothing to him. This suggested that he may have consciously felt some gratitude towards Harry for sparing his life.[11] Pettigrew also realised and admitted that he was a coward saying that he'd never been brave like Sirius, Remus and James. Though he valued his own life more than the lives of his friends, Pettigrew felt guilt for betraying Lily and James, but did not have the courage to admit his treachery until it was forced out of him, or to turn against Voldemort. He did feel rather under-appreciated when Voldemort claimed him to be an unintelligent and disloyal servant when comparing to Barty Crouch Jr. Without James, Sirius and Remus protecting him, Peter found no courage to go against Snape, who would in turn bully him in return throughout their time as Death Eater colleagues.

During his time as Scabbers the rat, under the Weasley family's care, Pettigrew was lazy and unmotivated, as all he did was sleep and eat, and only on one occasion did he bit Goyle's knuckle on his owner's behalf. This could be because Pettigrew enjoyed being pampered and waited hand and foot, believing that as a pet rat he did not have to do much and can relax instead, at least until Sirius' escape from Azakaban prompted him into action.

Despite Professor McGonagall claiming that Peter was less talented than his friends, and Voldemort had later denoted him as a poor wizard, he showed a surprising amount of magical capability when pushed. In fact, from what was known, Peter did not seem to be any less magically-skilled than the other three Marauders, and was actually quite adept in the Dark Arts (perhaps the most capable of the four in that aspect).

Animagus: With all the help he could get from his friends, Peter was able to become an Animagus at the early age of fifteen, assuming the shape of a rat. Being unregistered made it an advantage for him to abuse the ability: mainly to hide from the Ministry, the Order of the Phoenix, and Death Eaters after his falsified death.

Dark Arts: Peter had demonstrated numerous times that he was actually an adept in the Dark Arts. In 1981, he was able to cast a potent Blasting Curse that blew up a street and put a 40-foot crater in the ground, killing twelve Muggles simultaneously; the explosion was so powerful that all the sewers hundreds of feet deep were completely destroyed. Fourteen years later, he was able to effectively use the Killing Curse (one of the three Unforgivable Curses that requires a considerable level of magic) to execute Cedric Diggory - a feat made even more impressive that he used a wand he did not have allegiance with. Guided by Voldemort's instructions, Peter was also able to successfully brew potions classified as powerful Dark magic.

Duelling: According to Professor McGonagall, Peter had always been "hopeless at duelling" during his years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, he managed to deceptively overtake Sirius in initiatives during their confrontation by blowing up the entire street behind him before (the apparently more adept) Sirius could react properly, as well as make it look like Sirius was the criminal in the same move. Later, he overpowered Bertha Jorkins, a witch from the Ministry, and forced her to give up information to help Lord Voldemort be reborn. Along with Barty Crouch Jr., he was able to capture extremely powerful Auror Mad-Eye Moody and trap him in a magic trunk so that Barty could impersonate him.

Charms: Along with the other three Marauders, Peter helped design the very complex Marauder's Map. The map was extremely "smart" and could see through anything.

Non-verbal magic: Peter was able to perform magic non-verbally. During his escape, he non-verbally Stunned both Ron and Crookshanks before fleeing. In 1998, Peter locked and unlocked the cell door at Malfoy Manor without saying anything.[1] As stated, he could light a fire around the Regeneration Potion's very large cauldron, levitate Harry Potter, and conjure ropes mentally. Nonverbal magic requires a strong will, which Peter shows as proven by his aptitude, despite his cowardly personality.

Detective skills and intelligence: Peter's deductive skills were considerably high, as he deduced his master's first defeat after seeing the destruction of the house and the sight of the fallen wand, and was able to find Lord Voldemort's hidden location, something other more talented Death Eaters who made the effort to do, had failed. He was also very cunning as he was able to deceive the entire wizarding world of his demise while pinning all of his crimes to another wizard, and fool a Ministry official on his way back to Voldemort. His intelligence was actually better than what his school performances show, as he would hide Voldemort's wand instead of leaving it behind for the Ministry to inspect, strategically plotting to wait for the right moment to turn Harry in to prevent Death Eaters from claiming him as a traitor, and even deduce where Voldemort's fragmented soul was hiding.

Silver hand: After Peter severed his right hand to restore Voldemort to his physical body, he was given a new silver, glove-like hand that possessed strength far superior to that of his former hand, being strong enough to crush a twig into powder. This hand was later shown to be impervious to the Revulsion Jinx,[1] and possibly other spells. However, it was also designed to strangle its owner at any signs of treason or weakness, which is what led to Peter's demise.

Peter Pettigrew's relationship with his parents is unknown, but after Pettigrew faked his own death, the Order of Merlin gave Mrs. Pettigrew her son's finger — the biggest part of Peter that was found. It is also unknown if his parents knew about his faked death.

During his seven years at Hogwarts, Peter came to greatly admire James Potter and Sirius Black for their popularity and magical ability, as well as James's renowned skills as Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Though they accepted him as a friend and included him in their various mischief-making endeavours, it was clear he was considered more of a hanger-on than an equal. Nevertheless, they were close throughout their time at school. When they discovered that a member of their group, Remus Lupin, was a werewolf, they illegally became Animagi so as to be able to accompany Remus while he was in his transformed state, rather than shun him as many would have. The four of them eventually came to be known as the "Marauders".

While James, Sirius and Remus considered Peter a true friend and would have willingly died for him, Peter proved that he lacked any similar conviction or sense of loyalty. When Lord Voldemort first started gaining power, Peter immediately defected from the Order of the Phoenix and joined the Death Eaters out of fear for his own life. Peter betrayed James and Lily Potter, who entrusted him to be their Secret-Keeper when they cast the Fidelius Charm. Peter later framed Sirius for the crime by pretending to confront him, then cutting off his own finger before taking his rat Animagus form; he killed twelve Muggles in the process, and landed Sirius in Azkaban for twelve years.

Sirius had convinced James to use Pettigrew as Secret-Keeper in what he believed to be a brilliant gambit. This was proven to be a fatal mistake that Sirius would regret for the rest of his life. When Sirius learned the truth, he became obsessed with avenging the deaths of his friends. When Peter's treachery was revealed to James's son, Harry Potter, both Sirius and Remus showed no mercy nor sympathy for Peter's lack of courage (if anything, both were disgusted by him), and were absolutely intent on killing Peter, and were only stopped by Harry's insistence that Pettigrew was not worth their becoming murderers.

As Remus had forgotten to take his Wolfsbane Potion in the wake of discovering Pettigrew's continued existence, he transformed under the full moon and was completely uncontrollable. Peter was able to escape, but for his freedom he owed Harry a life debt that would later cost him his own life.

While they were students at Hogwarts, Pettigrew, along with James Potter and Sirius Black, enjoyed tormenting Severus Snape. Pettigrew, who probably would not have fared well duelling with a wizard as skilled and powerful as Snape, only got away with doing so because he had more talented friends backing him up. For this reason, Snape possibly viewed Pettigrew with even more scorn than the other three because of his pitiful ineptitude. Or perhaps his intense dislike of Pettigrew was due to the former betraying Lily, the woman he loved, to Voldemort. It is possible that Snape regarded Pettigrew as being too negligible of a person to be worthy of hating, as he showed very little care for Pettigrew during their time in Spinner's End.

In any case, when the Dark Lord later assigned Pettigrew to work as his assistant, Snape took to treating him like a butler, forcing him to clean his house and serve food to his guests, while refusing to let him in on their meetings. Pettigrew found little courage to argue or request the Dark Lord for reassignment, and seemingly had to obey out of fear of Snape, as he flinched as though Snape threw something at him when ordered to serve Bellatrix and Narcissa wine. With the feeble protests Pettigrew made proved his ineptitude and cowardice, Snape took every opportunity to mock him for it, while showing his "assistant" no respect whatsoever.

Peter first met Lily Evans during the Sorting ceremony at Hogwarts, during which they were both Sorted into Gryffindor house. Peter regularly took part in bullying her then-best friend Severus Snape, and as such, he did not make any better an impression on her than James or Sirius did. After Lily ended her friendship with Snape, she eventually married James Potter.

She seemed to be much closer to James's circle of friends by that time, especially when they all joined the Order of the Phoenix. She even affectionately referred to Peter as "Wormy," from his nickname "Wormtail," and noted that he "seemed down" on the week before Harry Potter's first birthday, as she tells in a letter to Sirius Black. She would not have known that it was because he was enlisted in the Death Eaters and playing spy. Peter, out of fear of his own life, and what Sirius described as "finest moment of [his] miserable life", betrayed Lily's location to Voldemort without a moment of hesitation.

Harry Potter initially believed Peter Pettigrew had been courageous for challenging the alleged traitor, Sirius Black, despite appearing so comparatively timid and weak; Harry even compared him to his own friend Neville Longbottom. As Scabbers, Harry felt that Hermione should at least feel responsible when Crookshanks allegedly ate him, when in truth Peter faked his death a second time. Though he was disgusted by Pettigrew's disloyalty and cowardice when he learned the truth, he could not stand to see his father's two best friends become murderers, and requested that they leave Pettigrew to face the Dementors instead. Pettigrew managed to escape, leaving Harry unable to prove his godfather, Sirius Black's innocence, however, because of Harry's intervention to save Pettigrew, the latter owed Harry a life debt. Harry, on the other hand, felt regretful for sparing Pettigrew's life and did not want such a bond.

Originally Peter spared no thought on betraying Harry and his family to Voldemort, and even prepared to turn Harry in the moment he catches wind of the Death Eaters regaining momentum as a welcome-back present. However, perhaps due to this debt, Pettigrew consciously felt gratitude towards the boy, as he suggested that Voldemort should use another wizard's blood for the rebirth ceremony, and hastily implying that Harry meant nothing to him when Voldemort raised the issue, an act that seems to be denial rather than honesty. Of course, Voldemort also saw this as an attempt for Wormtail to desert him once more, out of sheer regret of ever returning.

A year later, Pettigrew met Harry again in the Little Hangleton graveyard, where Pettigrew bound Harry to Tom Riddle Sr.'s grave and then cut Harry's arm to use his blood in a potion that would restore Voldemort to his former glory. Throughout this meeting, Wormtail struck Harry for struggling, but did not make eye contact when returning Harry his wand, per Voldemort's orders.

Pettigrew's life debt was finally repaid during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, when his momentary hesitation to strangle Harry was interpreted as a sign of weakness by the silver hand he received from Voldemort, and it turned on him. Though both Harry and Ron Weasley attempted to stop it, Peter Pettigrew was strangled to death by his own hand.

—Ron showing his disgust for learning of the true identity of his rat.[src]

Ronald Weasley with Peter Pettigrew disguised as Scabbers

After framing Sirius Black for the crimes of betraying James and Lily Potter and murdering twelve Muggles, Pettigrew went into hiding in his Animagus form, and disguised himself as a rat named Scabbers. He came into the possession of Percy Weasley, who eventually handed him down to his younger brother Ron. Thus, Petrigrew had been in the Weasley family for twelve years, which was—in Sirius' perspective—a "curiously long live for a common garden rat."

Despite Ron's frequent complaints of Scabbers having been a rather boring, useless pet, he felt a strong sense of ownership and was at times very fond of him—especially when Scabbers bit Gregory Goyle's knuckle. However, Hermione's cat immediately recognised the rat for who he was and constantly attempted to catch him. When Scabbers faked his own death by leaving bloodstains on the sheets, Ron assumed that he was eaten by the cat. Ron and Hermione got into such a row over the incident that they almost ended their friendship.

Ron later discovered him in Rubeus Hagrid's cabin and was overjoyed, though Scabbers continued to attempt to flee, struggling against Ron's efforts to pocket him and even biting him on the finger. When Sirius finally managed to corner the rat, Ron absolutely refused to believe what Sirius and Remus Lupin were telling him until he saw with his own eyes that Scabbers was the traitorous Peter Pettigrew. Ron took this as a personal insult and was too disgusted to respond to Pettigrew's pleas, and even savagely volunteered to act as an anchor alongside Lupin to prevent Pettigrew from escaping.

Four years later, when Pettigrew was being strangled by his own silver hand, Ron tried to save him with a Revulsion Jinx, and failed. When Pettigrew died, Ron was somewhat shocked, but was more preoccupied by the fact that Hermione was being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange.

Hermione Granger first met Pettigrew in disguise as Ron's pet rat named "Scabbers" in 1991. In 1993, she and Ron nearly ended their relationship, as Ron was convinced that Crookshanks, her cat, had eaten Scabbers. However, they all learned the truth later, when Peter Pettigrew was exposed by Sirius Black and Remus Lupin;
"Scabbers" was, in fact, Peter Pettigrew, the wizard who betrayed James and Lily Potter to Lord Voldemort. Peter was afraid of Sirius and Remus, and knew that they wanted to kill him in order to avenge James and Lily. Pettigrew appealed in turn to Ron, Harry and Hermione, who were horrified and shocked by the entire discovery.

The last time Pettigrew saw Hermione was in 1998, during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor. Hermione was being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, while Pettigrew was sent to check on the prisoners downstairs. Pettigrew attempted to strangle Harry, but momentarily slackened his grip when Harry reminded him of his life debt, and was killed for it by the silver hand made for him by Voldemort. Hermione learned about his death after the battle.

When Lord Voldemort first began gaining power during the First Wizarding War, Pettigrew switched sides and began secretly serving the Death Eaters. Though he gave valuable information, such as the whereabouts of Lily and James Potter, and was granted the Dark Mark that only the inner circle had, Voldemort still showed little respect for Pettigrew's cowardice and disloyalty.

When Voldemort met his first downfall, Pettigrew did not try to find his master, but instead hid in his Animagus form as Ronald Weasley's pet rat, "Scabbers". Pettigrew turned his back on Voldemort for being too much of a wreck to protect him, and did not attempt to murder Harry Potter due to that. When Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and Pettigrew's duplicity was uncovered, he had no choice but to flee and seek Voldemort's protection from Black. Though he regretted this decision, and attempted several times to escape, while flinching and shuddering at any contact with Voldemort's rudimentary body, he ultimately engineered Voldemort's return to physical form, and Voldemort rewarded Pettigrew with a new silver hand for having sacrificed his own. Voldemort also forced Garrick Ollivander to create a new wand for Pettigrew, a favour which the once highly revered Lucius Malfoy did not even receive after his wand was destroyed.

However, Voldemort neither trusted nor respected Pettigrew. He knew that Pettigrew felt no true allegiance to him and kept him only because he was sometimes capable at providing useful information (often times without Pettigrew being the wiser). He also made it clear just how little he trusted Pettigrew, when he designed the silver hand he made to turn on the man for any attempts at treachery; it did just that when it strangled Pettigrew for hesitating to kill Harry Potter in 1998.

The Death Eaters resented Pettigrew, because it was based on his information that Voldemort met his first downfall at Godric's Hollow. The ones who were imprisoned at Azkaban screamed in their sleep that Pettigrew was a traitor, and according to Sirius Black, if any of the Death Eaters who had evaded imprisonment had gotten wind that Pettigrew was still alive, they would have tried to kill him. It was for this reason, as much as his fear of retribution from the Order of the Phoenix when Black revealed that Pettigrew had been the Potters' Secret Keeper, that he disguised himself as "Scabbers" for twelve years after framing Black for his crimes. To prevent them from killing him when he would return to Voldemort, Pettigrew had originally planned to bring in Harry Potter to them as a welcome back present to his lord, in order to prevent anyone from saying that he betrayed Lord Voldemort.

When Pettigrew returned to the service of the Dark Lord, he was assigned to serve his colleagues, such as Severus Snape and the Malfoy family, as a lowly household servant. Both of them treated him with disdain, much as Voldemort himself did, and insultingly referred to him as "Wormtail." It can also be noted that while he was present at the Death Eaters' meeting at Malfoy Manor, he did not sit at the table amongst them, since Voldemort assigned him to deal with a prisoner in the dungeons.

Pettigrew appeared to respect the Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange and her sister Narcissa Malfoy, as he seemed very happy to see them at Snape's house in 1996, although he might simply have been attempting to flatter them or win their sympathy.

Albus Dumbledore's relationship with Peter when the latter attended Hogwarts is unknown. They might have shared some degree of friendship, as Pettigrew joined Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War. After Pettigrew's betrayal, Dumbledore believed, along with the rest of the Wizarding community, that Sirius Black had been the guilty party, and that Sirius had killed Peter, along with twelve Muggles, after being confronted about his crime. However, he learned the truth in 1994, as well as the fact that Harry Potter had saved Pettigrew's life before he escaped capture; though Harry was distressed about being unable to prove Sirius's innocence, Dumbledore had the foresight to appreciate the significance of the Life debt Pettigrew now owed. Indeed, it was in remembering his life debt that Pettigrew hesitated to kill Harry during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, in 1998, which resulted in Pettigrew being strangled to death by his own silver hand.

Minerva McGonagall was Pettigrew's Transfiguration professor, as well as his Head of House. McGonagall thought that Pettigrew "hero-worshipped" James Potter and Sirius Black, that he was a "stupid" and "foolish" boy, and that she was somewhat harsh with him during their time together as student and teacher. However, McGonagall spoke sadly of Pettigrew's death, and for his "bravery" in standing up to Sirius Black, who was comparatively far stronger than him and believed to be a Dark Wizard, she seemed to regret how she had treated him decades ago. They were comrades in the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War, which further fuelled her sympathy towards him, as she was unaware that he had been a spy.

It is unknown how she reacted when she learned that Pettigrew was alive, and that it had been he, not Sirius Black, who betrayed James and Lily Potter, though there's little doubt she would have been as outraged and disgusted by his cowardice and disloyalty as the rest of the Order.

In the Bible, Peter is a name of one of Christ's apostles who, on the morning of the crucifixion, denied Christ, although he later repented. Also, the name "Pettigrew" could be derived from the French word "petit" ("small") and the English word "grew," hence "grew small." Also "grew" looks like the French word "gros," which means "fat." ("Pettigrew" pronounced in French sounds like "petit gros," in English: "small fat.") The name "Pettigrew" could also be a reference to his time as Ron's rat, being the pet that Ron grew. "Petti" could also be a corrupted form of 'petty' meaning "of little importance" or "trivial", showing his lack of talent and - had he not befriended James, Sirius or Remus - easily overlooked.

Scabbers may derive from the word "scab." A scab is the crusty covering blood forms over a wound as it clots. A scab is also a worker hired to replace others who are on strike. Scab is also slang for a horrible person, which could reflect Peter Pettigrew's true nature.

Pettigrew has no lines in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and appears for less than ten seconds.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Pettigrew is the only Death Eater present at Malfoy Manor when Harry, Ron and Hermione are captured to not witness Griphook's torture or Dobby's rescue.

In the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pettigrew is not killed by his hand. He is stunned (or possibly killed) by Dobby in the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and is not mentioned in Part 2 aside from the flashbacks from the earlier films. His absence suggests that either Dobby's attack killed him or Voldemort did so upon arrival at Malfoy Manor, or at the beginning of Part 2 after the Gringotts scene. This is apparently because the manner of his death was deemed to be too disturbing for a PG-13 rated film.

In the films, Peter is shown to be left-handed.

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin said that Wormtail "needed all the help that he could get" while describing how he, Sirius, and James became Animagi. However, he was able to perform the Avada Kedavra curse in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which the fake Moody said takes a powerful bit of magic. In addition, the curse he used to kill the Muggles (which Sirius was framed for) caused an explosion that "made a crater so deep that it cracked the sewer below." It is possible that Pettigrew's magical aptitude improved as he aged, since the latter two examples were done when Pettigrew was an adult. It is more likely, however, that because of his cowardice he triggered powerful magic out of sheer desperation.

His film portrayal makes him appear much older than his canonical age of thirty-three or thirty-four years. It is possible that living as a rat took a toll on his health and made him appear older than he really was (which is arguably the case in the book as well since he is described as balding in the novels, unusual for thirty-three/thirty four). However, he looks the same in the picture of the original order. Of course, it is not uncommon for characters to look older in the films (Snape, Sirius)

Wormtail is comparable to Gríma Wormtongue from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings; Wormtail's nickname is similar to Wormtongue's surname, and both are referred to most often by these names by others. Both are also notable as groveling, cowardly servants to harsh, cruel and unforgiving masters who treat them with disdain and abhorrence. Indeed, Wormtail served Lord Voldemort in much the same way Wormtongue served Saruman the White. Also, the deaths of both are changed/partially omitted in the film. Wormtongue was killed by Hobbits at the end of the book Return of the King, while he is killed by Legolas at the beginning of the film in a scene only shown in the extended edition.

Wormtail also shows a strange connection with the Redwall character of the same name. Though Wormtail is a very minor character, he is a rat and is reported in the book to have lost a finger.

It was predicted by many fans that Pettigrew would kill Remus Lupin with his silver hand, as Remus is a werewolf. However, J. K. Rowling subsequently mentioned in an interview that, contrary to what is seen in films, in her view werewolves are not affected by silver. However the Marauder that does die by the silver hand is not Moony, but Wormtail himself.

Many fans (and a prediction book) predicted that Wormtail would have some part to play in the destruction of Voldemort (because of his life debt), such as telling Harry how to destroy the Horcrux inside him without dying himself. This turned out to be false.

In Prisoner of Azkaban, Dumbledore tells Harry that "there may well come a time when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life." This is confirmed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where he strangles himself instead of Harry.

Wormtail appears in all seven Harry Potter books, although his appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is in the Pensieve rather than in person, and he only appears in his Animagus form in the first two books.

Wormtail is the only known Death Eater from Hogwarts that was not in Slytherin (Igor Karkaroff is believed to have attended Durmstrang Institute). Ironically he was in Gryffindor, somewhat odd considering his cowardice. However, it may have been Pettigrew's decision to be put into Gryffindor, when it was the Sorting Hat's intention to put him in Slytherin, just as Harry did.

Wormtail's ambition, cunning, and extreme self-preservation are all traits that would have made him an excellent Slytherin. Wormtail, in fact, almost perfectly embodies the latter half of the quote by Phineas Nigellus Black; "We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, when given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks." Assuming Black's quote is taken at face value (and not just as one of his frequent snide attempts to assert Slytherins' superiority to Gryffindors), however, it seems that even Slytherins would have looked down on Wormtail for his abject cowardice; the fact that other Death Eaters tend to treat Wormtail like a barely-tolerated servant rather than a peer seems to confirm this. (Of course, Snape's barely-disguised contempt for him can also be attributed to the fact that it was Wormtail who betrayed Lily Evans to her death and/or Wormtail's childhood past as an eager sycophant to the boys who bullied the young Snape.)

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, despite his being a Death Eater, he bites Gregory Goyle, the son of another Death Eater, on the knuckle during Harry, Ron, and Hermione's first formal meeting with Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. It is unlikely, however, that he would have recognised Goyle as that.

J. K. Rowling has said that no Death Eater except Severus Snape could conjure a Patronus. However, she also said that members of the Order of the Phoenix used their Patronuses to communicate. It is unknown if Peter could cast the spell. Given Pettigrew's extreme cowardice and lacklustre aptitude for magic, it is highly unlikely that he could master it. Although it should be noted that he managed to conjure a very effective killing curse that killed Cedric, so while not probable, it is not an impossible theory.

In the third novel, Pettigrew has been referred to by his name, "Peter" and "Pettigrew" by characters and the narration. However, subsequent novels, until the final novel refer him almost exclusively as "Wormtail", the only Marauder to have been called in such fashion; J.K. Rowling has yet to explain her reasons behind this.

In a bonus level on LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Peter is shown to willingly give directions to the Potters' residence, whereas in the books and the film he is told as to give directions out of cowardice.

Despite his weak character, Pettigrew does seem to have a high pain tolerance, as he cut off his finger in order to fake his death, and years later severed his entire hand for the rebirth of Voldemort.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, there is a Transfiguration class in which the students transform animals into water goblets. Ron tries to turn Scabbers into a goblet, however, as his wand is broken, Scabbers turns into a goblet with fur and a tail.

J. K. Rowling has explained Pettigrew's switch of allegiance by saying that he "out of cowardice will stand in the shadow of the strongest person."[14] She also said that James Potter and Sirius Black allowed Pettigrew to be their friend "in a slightly patronising way" and that he ended up being a better wizard and better at hiding secrets than they ever knew.[15]